Veiled
by SakuraFestival
Summary: A town where laughter flows, full of adventure and hope. A kingdom where anyone can be free, anyone can start over. A world where magic exists, immersed inside the people. A universe where memories hide, but are unable to be forgotten. AN- Rating may change as story progresses.
1. Chapter 1 - A Command

Izana sat at the window, glancing at his watch. As per usual, the court magician was late. Just as he was about to go find him, the magician burst into the room, bowing and apologizing excessively before the first prince finally got him to sit down in the chair facing the desk.

"Your highness, may I ask why you have called upon me?" asked the magician after some silence from the prince.

"The Chief herbalist tells me that your health has been declining over the past year, especially with the added stress of Zen and I always leaving the palace . I suggest for you to have two apprentices to help ease your health and take over for you once you retire." The prince answered the magician, whose widened eyes showed surprise, then excitement, and finally gratitude as he heard the prince's words.

The magician opened his mouth to start thanking the prince, but Izana interrupted him.

"You will be choosing the apprentices, but if they are not suited to my or Zen's needs, or deemed unfit by either of us, they will not continue to serve in the palace. The exam will begin two weeks from now. I suggest you deliver the news as soon as possible, and make preparations immediately."

"Yes sir! Thank you your highness! I'll get to it right away!" the ecstatic man replied. He left the room and headed back to his own office.

Izana smiled out of amusement for the aged man. "No task ever daunts you, does it?"

* * *

The magician's office was untidy and covered with paper, books, and vials of potions. Through the curtained windows shown a golden light, illuminating the otherwise dim room. Bookshelves lined the walls of the small sized room and a desk stood in the center of it. The floor had suspicious discoloration and burn marks, most caused by the clumsy man.

"Where is it… where did i put it…" He muttered under his breath. "AHA! Here… let's see… letters letters…" He said, pulling out a book from a shelf and scanning the pages to find the spell he was looking for. He finally found the page and written at the top in neat handwriting was Seeking Letters. Just below it was a description of the effects of the spell.

 _Seeking letters are used to deliver messages to people without the use of messengers, making the process faster and easier._

 _This spell can be used for communication with a specific individual, or can be mass produced and sent out to anyone within a certain criteria._

"Let's see… I'll need oak paper… blue ink… mint leaves… " The man kept muttering the list of ingredients, holding the book open in one hand and searching for them with the other, digging through piles of papers and books.

Having found the ingredients, he motioned at the table with his pinky and everything on it swept off onto the floor. He set the items on the table and sat down in the chair, pondering the message. A few minutes later, the magician leaned forward and began to scribble a barely legible statement. He copied the exact notice unto hundreds of other papers, carefully folding and placing the letters in envelopes, a stack forming to the side.

Grabbing a pot from underneath the table, he mixed in some herbs, spices, and liquids, all the while infusing the solution with magic. The magician stirred the brew, using a spoon that he had been using for his breakfast earlier that day, which he hadn't bothered to clean up.

"DONE!" he exclaimed joyfully as the color turned black instead of orange and a ring of smoke popped out of the pot. He wrote in the tiniest of letters the criteria on the back of each envelope with the potion he had just made.

 _1\. Must be a magic user._

 _2\. Must be over the age of 16._

 _3\. One letter sent per household._

Satisfied, he took the stacks of envelopes to the window behind him and tossed them off the tower. As soon as the envelopes grazed the breeze, they floated their separate ways, off on their missions.


	2. Chapter 2 - A Letter

Lia woke up to the morning sun, groaning while getting up. Still groggy, she got dressed in one of her usual outfits, a short, white, flowy dress with a low sweetheart neckline and short sleeves allowing her a lot of movement. Around her waist was a faded brown leather belt, and she wore black leggings underneath the dress, so that she wouldn't have to worry about her skirt lifting up. She had long dark brown hair that faded to a silver on the ends and curled in every direction, which she braided to the side. She slowly stepped out of the room and yawning went down the creaky stairs and into the kitchen.

In the sunlit kitchen was a small table filled with platters of both sweet and savory pastries as well as fruit, which were always on the table. Today there also were three plates of eggs and bacon, and three glasses, with a jug of orange juice to the side.

"Good morning Lia!" A voice called out from the pantry. Poking her head inside, Lia answered back.

"Good morning Hiriko! Do you know where Kazuo is? I wanted to ask him what we will be working on today."

"He's in the study. While you're going there, could you tell him that breakfast is ready? I just need to find the beans and put them on the stove so that they're ready for lunch." Hiriko smiled, continuing to scour through the shelves.

"Ok!" Lia skipped through the short hallway into a small room, containing a large, clean desk and a few books, worn to the point of falling apart.

"Hey Kazuo! What's the plan for today? Am I going to be studying or practicing alchemy?" She grinned, her eyes lighting up. "Maybe some ACTUAL training? Like using magic or sparring?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "How do you have so much energy in the morning… Honestly, you're like an overexcited puppy sometimes." He leaned back, placing his hands on his belly that over the years had been growing wider. "I was actually thinking, maybe we would like to have a day off today? We haven't had one in a long time, so it may be nice to just have a break." He continued, watching as Lia turned turned ecstatic.

"Yes! Let's! Hooray!" She exclaimed, excited at the prospect of not being cooped up in the house, even though she loved her adoptive parents and discussing various methods to alchemy. "Oh, and Hiriko meant for me to tell you that breakfast is on the table!" She said as she left the room waving a hand, almost like a salute.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT FIRST?!" called Kazuo after her. She heard his footsteps and a sudden crash come from the room, and peeked back into it. He had jumped out of his chair and started to run after her to the table, but tripped over the rug in the center of the room, falling down and knocking over a stack of papers that was on his desk.

"KAZUO! Are you alright?" Lia asked after he had finished muttering swears.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine." He replied, getting up. "Let's go eat!" he said, smiling once again. Lia laughed at his sudden change in mood.

"Yeah, lets!"

Finally seated at the table, the trio dug into the food. Talking and joking around, they ate, with Lia finishing before the other two so that she could head off into the forest, her favorite place to be. Since she would be out all day, she packed her own lunch, instead of the one Hiriko had started making. After putting on her socks and her favorite pair of black boots, Lia grabbed her lunch and ran out the door, sprinting to the forest nearby.

She wanted to eat at the waterfall, which was about a half hour's horse ride away, but she had never been good with horses. In fact, they hated her. Whenever she rode with another person, it was fine, but when she tried to ride by herself, the horses would get really nervous, and start bucking, trampling passersby who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lia had learned long ago to not rely on them, so going on foot to the waterfall would have to do.

Coming to a small forest path, Lia slowed down, wanting to enjoy every minute, every second of being outside. The trees towered high above her head, but in some places, the canopy opened up to let in golden rays, glittering the floor, bouncing around with the movement of the leaves from above. Birds chirped and fluttered around, squirrels froliked, chasing after each other, and butterflies sat on the foliage, having just come out of their cocoons and needing to dry their wings. She had always loved being in forests, walking underneath the warm sun rays, or in the shade of the canopy, with a cool breeze flitting around her, bringing the smell of water with it. It always felt so free, so happy, so calm.

Making sure that she was a reasonable distance from the start of the path, so that no one would see her, especially not Hiriko or Kazuo, Lia slipped off her boots and socks. As soon as her feet touched the ground, the earth came alive, growing grass and flowers underneath and around her. She smiled, watching the tiny red flowers bloom, giving off a sweet smell, where she had just been standing.

She laid her boots and socks next to a tree on the side of the path, securing her satchel so that it wouldn't fly off and bounded through the forest, laughing from the happiness that flowed through her, untying her hair and letting it course behind her, the silver strands glinting from the sun.

Lia finally arrived at the waterfall, panting, joyful yet still full of energy. The water was tumbling down, rolling over the rocks that it hit on the way, and eventually forming a stream at the bottom. She then studied the face of the rocky cliff, grinning when an idea came to her mind. She walked up the side, and began to climb, bidding the wind to support her from behind and catch her in case if she fell. She had almost slipped a few times, but safely made it to the top of the cliff.

Lia stood and looked out at the forest beneath her. The tops of the trees shimmered, light reflecting off of the moving leaves. A family of blue birds played around in their nest, only stopping when their mother brought them food. Lia could just see the edge of the forest where her house stood. Beyond that was a hill, from where she could just see the very tip of a building from the village. Sitting down with her feet hanging over the edge, Lia took her sandwiches out of the satchel and began to gratefully munch on them, enjoying the wildlife around her.

Finishing her meal, Lia lay down on the grass underneath her, staring up at the sky. She slowly started to drift off to sleep, lulled by the soothing sounds of the waterfall and rustling of the trees. Not having any nightmares for the first time in weeks, she slept soundly, waking up only when a butterfly perched on her nose, making her sneeze.

Lia turned her head, watching the blades of grass move in the breeze, and felt an impulse to manipulate the satin-like ripples. Lifting her hand from her side, she gracefully swept it up, motioning at the ground. It mimicked her movement, vines rising towards the sky, in ribbons, twisting and turning as she moved her fingers, sprouting flowers and leaves.

Still holding control over the plants, Lia stood up, and it stood with her. She began to move, stepping, hopping, leaping, twirling- dancing to a faded old melody in her head. The more she moved, the more the amount of flowers grew. The grass grew taller, greener with each of her movements, the tree stump around her sprung back to life. The branches flew through the air, wrapping themselves around each other, then going near to the ground, turning back up and looping, unconditionally responding to her wishes. At last, she separated the long, thick streams of vines into millions of tiny branches above her head, orbiting above the roots, as if the center was a star, twisting tighter and tighter. Lia slowly gathered all of the twines to the center, forming a massive teardrop shaped bubble above her. She held it there for a moment longer before letting an almost golden color envelope the green, stilling the movements, forming a bark. She let go of her control over the plant, watching the newly formed tree slowly develop buds, some already turning pink and peeking out to the sunshine.

 _Sakura…_ Lia smiled sadly, remembering the long walks with her mother along the forest path, the ground overflowing with pink and white petals, the moon giving them a silver sheen. _That was before… Before everything fell apart… Before my world collapsed. Those blissfully ignorant moments of peace won't exist anymore._

She picked up her now empty satchel and decided to head back home as she saw it was already late. As she climbed back down the cliff edge, again with the support of the wind, Lia held onto the rocks, noticing a slight layer of moss appeared on them from after her previous climb. Landing on the ground from a few feet up with an oomf, she began to walk home. The earth path upon which she had been running before was now covered with grass and the same tiny red flowers, filling the air with an intoxicating aroma. It was a smell that was constantly changing, different scents appearing, intertwining, and mixing. Lia could make out the smells of cinnamon, vanilla, and apples turning into lemons and pomegranates, which in turn became a cedar, evergreen, and strawberry.

After a few minutes, she wasn't able to keep track of the different fragrances anymore, and entertained herself by finding dead or dying trees and shrubs along the way. She walked up to each one of them, placing her hands in a triangle formation to the bark, and muttering "Laitvo." to each of them, knowing that in a few days, they would start to grow leaves again, and some even bloom flowers. Earth had always come naturally to Lia, as it did to all in her father's line of the family, and was the closest to her out of all the elements. Instead of having to discover or learn it, and then practice, as she did the others, it responded to her since she was born, whether she wanted it to or not.

Along the way, Lia remembered her belongings, and began to search for them among the side of the path as she walked. When she finally found them, she slipped her socks and shoes, braided her hair again, and continued back home, already exhausted from her mini adventure and using so much of her magic.

* * *

Arriving back at the house, Lia found Hiriko, letting her know that she was home. She ran up the stairs to the bathroom, filling the tub with warm water. Taking a quick bath as to not be late, Lia washed the dirt off of her, smiling as she remembered the carefree time that day that usually would have been spent with Kazuo and Hiriko schooling her. They made sure that she was well educated, especially since before she started living with them, she had been ignorant of the world around her. Kazuo taught her math, languages, geography, science, hunting, and fighting. Hiriko taught her history using stories, as well as music, dancing, art, and the most basic of house chores.

On top of her regular lessons with them, she also was taught wizardry. She spent hours, even days, memorizing potions and making them, or practicing controlling the elements, particularly wind and water, as those were the two Kazuo and Hiriko could use, respectively.

There were three types of magic. Alchemy, speaking, and elemental.

Alchemy was the simplest. Any person with magic inside of them could practice it since to be able to make a potion, one basically had to mix the ingredients in a certain way, while infusing it with a person's magic.

True speaking was a lost magic, the art form had been forgotten over the years. The language originated in Sai, a kingdom to the south, but over time the language changed, most words forgotten, and their magical properties being lost. Despite the change, some words remained so similar to the ancient language that they could be said by a speaker as a command. These surviving words spread to other countries, and most magicians used them on a daily basis, combined with alchemy or elemental magic.

Out of all known magic, being able to use the elements was the most distinguished, and the most powerful. Even just being able to master one of them fully was considered admirable and was respected. Magicians who did so were called disciples, and only a quarter of disciples could control two elements, and even fewer could control three. Each element had it's own personality consisting of opposites. Water was loyal yet manipulatable. Wind was protective yet uninterested. Fire was devoted yet rash. Earth was caring yet merciless. A disciple's element was determined by not only their potential and power, but also by their personality, and outlook on life.

Finally finishing bathing, Lia stepped out of the bath, drained the water, dried off, got dressed, and headed downstairs for dinner.

* * *

"Kazuo, why are you so serious today?" asked Hiriko after Lia had finished telling them all about her day, looking curiously at her husband, knowing something important must have happened, as he was usually talkative at mealtimes.

" … A letter came..." he said quietly after a minute of silence.

Hiriko had put her spoon down in surprise. Lia also had stopped eating, intently listening to the conversation unfolding in front of her.

"A letter? How? About what? We live so far from the village, and no one has ever written to us…" Hiriko asked after a moment of silence, demanding answers from her husband whom she had expected to expand on his statement.

"It was a seeking letter… From the court magician at Wistal castle." Answered Kazuo, finally looking up from his bowl and putting his spoon down. He reached out the letter from his pocket and laid it out on the table so that the two women could see. They both leaned over the letter to see better and Hiriko read out the contents.

 _A letter to all magic users residing in Clarines._

 _The court magician is searching for two apprentices over the age of 17._

 _Those who are interested in the apprenticeship, are invited to an exam that is to take place in two week's time at Wistal Castle._

 _The exam will consist of seven tests. You may bring any items you might need to showcase your abilities._

 _You must also wear a dark hooded cloak whenever you are inside Wistal Castle to differentiate from an intruder._

 _Do your best, and good luck!_

When she finished reading the letter, she looked over to her husband and instantly understood his reason for being serious. She then looked over at Lia, who was rereading the letter for herself.

"I have no desire of becoming an apprentice, especially at my age. So, Lia, why don't you try for the position?" Kazuo carefully said, watching Lia's expression when she heard his proposal.

"Wha-me?! No way. Not me. I can't. It's not a good idea." _I don't want to leave. I don't want my world to disappear again._ She had turned from surprised to somber in a matter of seconds.

"I think you should try for the position as well. This may turn out to be a good opportunity for you to spread your wings and not be cooped up in this house for the rest of your life. We don't want you to feel imprisoned here. You might also befriend some people your age!" Hiriko commented, supporting her husband.

"But I like it here! I'm happy here!" Lia exclaimed, getting frustrated. _Please don't leave me… I'm scared of what's out there… I'm scared of the people out there._

"Lia, we adopted you to protect you from your past, and to help you restart your life. We would like for you to explore what is outside of this house, village, and forest. Life really is beautiful and we would like for you to see it in full." _I've been outside of here before… It wasn't beautiful. The people weren't beautiful. They were full of so much hatred…_ "We ask that you at least go and earnestly try in the exam. If you truly feel unhappy there, if you aren't able to find people that you cherish, and if you want to come back, then we will always welcome you." Hiriko nodded in agreement to Kazuo. _But there are people that I cherish… And that's you two… Why can't you see that? Do you not want me here?_ Tears threatened to fill her eyes. Lia, not wanting to fight with them, caved in, sadness lacing her voice.

"Fine. I'll go. How long will it take me to get there? And when should I leave to arrive on time?" Hiriko and Kazuo smiled.

"It'll take about a week for you to walk there. You should probably arrive a few days ahead of time just in case and also to get settled." Kazuo replied, leaning back in his chair. Lia sighed.

"I'll leave tomorrow morning then."

* * *

Lia floated on her back in the water peacefully, enjoying the sun warming her body, her hair swirling and swaying around her. She closed her eyes, relaxing, but when she opened them again, the sky had turned stormy grey. The gentle swaying of the water had become a turbulent churning, not listening to her when she asked it to calm down, to quiet.

The water level rose, and whereas Lia could have before touched the muddy bottom with her feet, she suddenly a cold heartless absence of land beneath her. She tried to swim to shore, but it all had been drowned out. She tried to cry for help, but the salty water choked her, stifling her pleas.

A hand tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around, seeing an outreached hand of a boy who was standing on a raft that had come up from behind her. She couldn't see his face, apart from his slightly crooked smile, which was beaming like a ray of sunshine against the dull gray clouds. Lia took the hand, grateful that someone had finally found her, had saved her, but when she stepped aboard the raft, the boy was gone and she was alone again. The water turned a murky brown, filling up with earth. A few minutes later, Lia stepped off the raft, and onto the newly formed ground. Even though the land there had just been filled with water, it was now black, scorched, still steaming, as if a fire of hatred had raged past.

She was alone with the black land, stretching for miles around her. Walking barefoot, she tried to heal it, to make it grow again, but it recoiled, disintegrating wherever she went. She fell through the earth, which had turned to dust and was falling. Falling, without being able to catch herself. Falling, the wind not catching her, not protecting her.

Lia woke up in a cold sweat, panting. Trembling from her nightmare, she sat up and tugged the sheets around her, wrapping herself up as if the blanket would defend her from her own fears. She sat, not wanting to fall asleep again just yet.

Trying to distract herself, she leaned over to her table, turning on a light and taking hold of her notebook and pencil. She began to draw the images in her head, sketching out the raft, the water surrounding her, the boy with the kind smile, reaching his hand out. She left the rest of his face blank, not knowing how to fill it. He seemed so familiar. Yet she couldn't remember. Drawing calmed her down, getting the images out of her head, bringing peace to her mind. Finally at ease, Lia put her sketchbook and pencil back on the table, turning the light off and falling into a light and restless sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Lia packed a satchel with necessities for the trip. She didn't bring anything for the exam itself, figuring that if she decided she needed something, she would make or buy it. She did bring her sketchbook and pencils for the journey, along with her favorite alchemy book, just in case. As she was about to leave, when Hiriko crawled down from the attic.

"Lia! Wait!" the woman ran up to her, panting. "I found it!"

"Found what…?" Lia answered skeptically, looking down at the cloth Hiriko was holding.

"A cloak! I knew I had one. Back in the days when I met Kazuo, I used to wear it all the time. Fortunately for you, it has a spell on it so that it never gets dirty or wears down. Consider it a parting gift!" Hiriko said, smiling and laughing. She extended the cloak to Lia, who took it gratefully.

"Don't forget to wear the hood whenever you can around people. It would be dangerous if they see your beautiful face. Someone might want to steal you away!" Hiriko giggled some more while pinching an exasperated Lia's cheek.

"Okay, okay, sheesh." Lia turned towards Kazuo, who had just come in the room.

"Good morning! Well, I'm off!" She said, hugging both of them and made her way towards the door. Looking back one last time, Lia beamed them a smile, covering the sadness in her heart.

"Bye! We'll miss you! Be safe!" The man and woman called after the figure that was slowly getting smaller as it climbed over the hill separating the house from the village.

"Will she be alright?" Hiriko asked her husband as the figure disappeared from sight.

"I hope so…" He answered, worry hinting in his voice.


	3. Chapter 3 - A Journey

As soon as she stepped over the hill, Lia unfolded the cloak, staring at it in awe. It was a beautiful deep blue that shimmered into a midnight black in the shade and into dazzling galactic purple in the sunlight. The inside was a light forest green, like the tips of grass as the sun shines through them. Lia put her cloak on, hiding her hair and face with the hood. It fit her perfectly, and had more fabric in the width than regular cloaks, letting her be able to move her body without so much as a quiver from the cloth. It was warm, yet not too hot as to suffocate her, and even through the fabric she could feel a slight breeze.

Not wanting to talk to anyone or cause trouble, she passed by the village without entering it. The villagers there had shunned her since the moment she started living with Kazuo and Hiriko; not having taken too kindly to a foreign child who had trouble controlling magic. Some had even attacked her for her eyes, wanting to sell them for their unique combination of colors. Kazuo had had to put up borders around the house, not letting people go near it. Eventually, the attackers gave up, not having had any success in finding Lia, but once in a while, some from outside would try to break through, usually bandits or assassins, but they failed as well.

Lia walked north, referencing a map Kazuo had given her, stopping by villages only to check if she was headed in the right direction. Afraid that people would find her suspicious or not welcome her, she decided that she would sleep outside, away from villages, and away from people. She put her hood down whenever she sensed people coming near her, hiding her face and hair. Lia restrained herself from touching any plants, not wanting them to react to her. It was difficult, since there wasn't any formal path between the small villages. She trudged through the hills and forests, stopping for short breaks to draw when she got tired.

She walked in this manner until sunset. Realizing she had to find a place to sleep, Lia searched, and finally decided upon a small space in between two trees and a bush. _This'll do._ She thought to herself, sighing. _It's not like I have any other choice._ She was about to crawl into the space, but a thought crossed her mind. _I stink… I need to wash… ugh._ She stood up, walking a little ways away from her chosen sleeping place. Stepping behind a large rock, she quickly stripped, tossing her clothes to the side. She concentrated, swirling her hands toward the ground in gentle and smooth movements. A stream of water rose up, warming up at her silent command, and finally rising and splashing on her in jets, cleaning the dirt off swiftly. Finished, she quickly put her clothes back on, deciding only to change once she got close to her destination.

Lia walked back to the sleeping place, admiring the fireflies that looked just like the sky, thousands of galaxies flickering in the neverending darkness, flames of hope and happiness floating through the air.

 _Alright, here goes._ She crawled into the space, using the cloak as both a bedsheet and a blanket, and her hood as a pillow. _I forgot how calming it is sleeping outside at night… After moving in with Hiriko and Kazuo I never had to; they rarely let me even leave the house without them._

Even though her body was heavy and she could barely move from exhaustion, sleep evaded Lia. She lay for hours, listening to the crickets sing an overlapping lullabye, watching the fireflies granting her a soft night light, and feeling the breaths of wind caressing her cheeks, just as a mother to her child.

* * *

The next morning, she awoke grouchy from her unpleasant dream, still in her little spot, but it was now covered with flowers and leaves the trees and bush had bloomed while she slept. _Why does this always happen… Can't I go anywhere without leaving traces…?_ She sighed, sweatdropping, standing to shake the foliage off of herself.

Lia looked around, finding no recognizable fruit trees and no berries anywhere that she could see. She groaned out of annoyance, then started to weave her fingers through the air, coaxing a shrub in front of her to grow. It sprouted new branches, rising higher and higher as she continued her movements. Although the bush, which had transformed into a beautiful tree, was now bountiful with fruits, Lia stared at it in horror.

 _Pears. Why pears…? It's always pears. I hate pears…_ She grumbled, picking a few and placing them into her bag, just in case she got hungry later. Biting into one, Lia couldn't stop her face from turning sour at the taste.

Picking up her satchel, she continued walking towards Wistal, hoping to come across a village and buy actually edible food there.

She spent the journey in the following manner. Walking, sleeping, and eating her despised pears. Sometimes when she was tired, she would take out her notebook and draw the scenery around her, trying to capture her adventure in pictures. The movement of the leaves in the wind, the sun's rays passing through the branches, the butterflies fluttering about, the small overgrown path which she had found and followed.

* * *

The magician knocked on the prince's door, announcing his presence. As he entered, Izana lifted his head up, surprise filling his eyes.

"Already done, Fumio?" He asked.

"Yes, your highness." The magician bowed as Izana put down his reports.

"Well, what materials do you need?"

The bearded man smiled, his eyes taking on a lighthearted glint. "Here is the complete list." He handed over a paper. "Guards, first and foremost. As many as possible. Magicians are a high security risk in Clarines, as you know, your highness." Izana nodded his head. "The forest and the kitchen, for the second day." The prince shot him a questioning glance. The magician only smiled in reply.

Izana sighed. "Make this interesting for me."

The magician bowed. "Of course, your highness."

* * *

It had been four days. Four days since she set out of the place she had learned to call home. Four days, and she already had a bad feeling.

She felt uneasy. Ever since morning, it was like someone was watching her, but whenever she tried to find them, even using wind to detect movement, no one was there. She felt as if she was going crazy. Slowly, slowly beginning to hallucinate, paranoia creeping in.

Her unease only grew when the wind suddenly changed, a familiar heat rising. _The temperature's changed. It's too warm..._ Her head shot up as she moved into a defensive stance. _Above!_ She narrowed her eyes, spotting a blond haired man sitting in a tree, a flame dancing on his palm. _His hair's so long… How is it not getting tangled in the branches- NOT the time to be thinking about the hair, Lia._

"Well, well, looks like I've been spotted." He jumped down, landing with a loud thump. Lia moved her foot back, settling into a fighting position. "Haha. A scared magic user. Haven't seen that in a while." Her face darkened at his smirk. His eyes were cold, devoid of life.

"Also haven't seen eyes like that anywhere in Clarines." _Shut up. Don't mention my eyes._ "Last place those were seen was Sai…" She froze, fear and panic gripping at her heart, unwanted memories flooding her, making her hands involuntarily tremble. "I wonder what will happen if I bring them back to-" _SHUT UP!_ She launched at him, shaping the wind around her into blades that extended from her hands. He laughed, swerving to the side, a maniacal look in his eyes.

Next thing she knew, he was punching the air towards her, sending an orb of orange flames at her. She jumped back, countering, raising a wall of water out of the ground, dispersing the blaze. Her eyes never left him. He came at her, pulling a knife out, wrapping it in flames, heating the metal. She dodged, the knife barely missing her side. She quickly spun around, her foot outstretched, water rose out of the ground and was swept around her by the wind, creating a hurricane to protect her. She looked up fiercely at the man ready to continue fighting. He sighed, tucking his knife away.

"Seems like I won't have them today. Oh well, I'll see you again soon!" He waved, giving her another indecipherable smile, causing nausea to bubble up in her. He spun on his heels, hair flowing behind him in the wind as he walked away. She stood, keeping her defenses up long after she couldn't feel his presence.

 _Creepy…_ She shivered. _He recognized my eyes? Am I that conspicuous? Who even is he?_ Hundred questions flooded her mind. _I'm almost to Wistal. I'll be safer there… Hopefully. There'll be more people._ She let go of the wind, letting the water drop to the ground. She stood up from her crouched position and continued on the path at a brisk pace. She kept jumping at every crack of a branch, at every unexpected movement.

As Lia got closer to Wistal, she passed by more and more houses, roads, and people. Seeing them, she kept her hood up, tucking her silver braid into the fabric, hiding her eyes and face from their view, fearing another incident. She joined with a large and busy road, the only south entrance to the town.

Climbing over the last hill, her eyes widened in amazement at the city.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_**

 ** _I know, I know... It starts out really slow..._ I'M SORRY! **

**I just really want to build up her character for now and introduce some side characters (wink wink)**

 **I promise it will pick up within the next few chapters!**

 **Till next time!**


	4. Chapter 4 - A Town

Obi walked towards Zen's study, climbing up a tree to get to the second floor.

"I took care of it for the time being." He heard Zen's voice say, just as he jumped up onto the railing, surprising the group.

climbing the tree next to it, and jumping up on the railing.

"OBI!" Zen's eyes were wide, his mouth almost dropping from surprise, making him almost laugh at the sight.

"I'm back, master!" He cheerfully replied, trying to act nonchalant, when Zen's surprise morphed into annoyance.

"Idiot! It took you too long to come back! I only permitted you to go out for two days!" He chided, his hands placed on his hips, looking almost like a kid. Mitsuhide watched their exchange with a look of amusement while Kiki listened, seemingly exasperated by their squabbles.

"Well… It's been so long since I went out of the castle that I forgot about time." Obi ran his fingers through his hair, grinning sheepishly. "Anyway," He glanced up at the sky. "It looks like it's about to rain." Zen sighed, turning on his heels, leading the others inside, explaining Shirayuki's situation to Obi.

"That's a bit worrying." Obi sat down, concern flickering on his face. "And it'll still increase in the future, don't you think?"

"But, even so, it's not possible to follow Shirayuki around all the time…" Mitsuhide sighed, grimacing.

"And she has her own job, too." Kiki chimed in. They turned to Zen, seeming to be deep in thought.

"Zen?" Mitsuhide asked, expecting a response from the prince.

"I have a thought, but…" He glanced at Mitsuhide and Kiki, whose eyes lit up in silent understanding, before turning to Obi. "How about I appoint you to guard her under my name?" He grinned, almost wickedly, sending a shiver down Obi's spine.

"EH? Me? No, that's not possible." He laughed nervously. "I once threatened her before, you know? It's better to ask a guard to keep watch over her." _Zen's not going to be persuaded by that is he…_ He groaned inwardly.

"That's up to Shirayuki." The prince paused. "When I gave you permission to leave the castle on your own, I did think about the possibility that you might not come back." _Does Zen not trust me that much?_ Obi felt disappointment rising in him, directed toward himself. "Forgive me." _Huh?_ His eyes widened at the unexpected apology. "I haven't told her about you yet. Shall I arrange for you two to meet?" His spirits rose as quickly as they had gone down.

"She probably thinks he's still being captured." Mitsuhide stated before Obi had time to respond. He grinned, instantly deciding to mess with the trio.

"Actually, I've met her before when I was alone. Twice even." He said, coating his voice with a sugary innocence. Zen and Mitsuhide's faces were priceless. Their eyes were perfect circles and mouths hung open, inviting bugs to fly into them. Even Kiki seemed surprised.

"HUH?! When? How? Did you do anything to her?! I swear, if you did…" Zen became so worked up, shaking his fist, that he couldn't even finish his sentence.

"That's up to Shirayuki to tell." Obi grinned, leaning back, satisfied with Zen's reaction. The prince was about to throw a fit at the assassin's mocking, when he seemed to suddenly remember something. Clearing his throat, he turned to address the entire group, composing himself.

"So… Anyway, I've been informed that there will be an exam to select two apprentice magicians. One of them is being assigned as an aid to me." Zen looked up at his friend's confused faces.

"Huh? I haven't heard of this…" Mitsuhide said, frowning.

"My brother decided it a few days ago and didn't tell me until now…" Both Zen and Mitsuhide sighed.

"What are you planning to do with the magician?" Kiki asked, her curiosity piqued. Zen grinned evilly, turning to Obi. _Uh oh. Not good._ Obi started to fill with a sense of dread. Suddenly he regretted pulling Zen's nerves.

"Maybe assign the magician to be Obi's partner?"

"Heck no." The black haired man put on his best poker face. _I don't want to babysit a magician._ "I work alone." Zen paused at the reply.

"Kiki and Mitsuhide are already busy with their own work, besides, they're already partnered up. The magician won't know how things work in the palace, and you seem to have gotten the hang of it." Zen smiled. "Anyway, we'll figure it out. Go let Shirayuki know about your new position. Kiki, go with him to make sure he doesn't say something stupid." Obi smirked, standing up.

"Lead the way, my lady." He bowed, almost laughing when Kiki turned swiftly on her heels, shivering in disgust at his overabundant courteousness.

* * *

The town was huge, filled with so many people bustling about on their daily lives, the colors and sounds overwhelmingly vivid. Lia strolled through the streets, continuously bumping into people, trying to find an inn, not letting herself be distracted by the shops and stalls on her way. _So many colors… And people…! Do they all live here? How do they all fit?_ Her eyes were wide with wonder as she kept turning her head in all directions, trying to absorb her surroundings and carve the images into her mind.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a sign, pointing toward a bar, which displayed that it was also an inn. Lia glanced through the door, which had been swung open by a couple leaving. _It's full of people… And most of them are men..._ She scrunched her nose. _Nope. Not going there._ She sighed, continuing on, wandering, trying to find somewhere more respectable, and maybe safer, which turned out to be harder than she expected.

She found herself on the outskirts of town, noticing it was much more serene. She walked along the waterfront, enjoying the already afternoon sunshine and calm turquoise water. _What a great day to be alive._ She paused, looking out to the undulating waves. She could see to the other side, noticing a farmer in a vast field. His red shirt plainly stood out from the green of the hill.

Her expression softened, remembering when she would try help Kazuo with plowing, but end up helplessly crying in the dirt, not having been able to do anything. He had just laughed and pat her on the head. " _It's alright, Lia. Nobody is good at everything. That's why we all have each other. Each person has to find their own talents. That way, we can all support one another. A carpenter wouldn't be able to make a metal sword, and a blacksmith wouldn't be able to make a wooden table. Right?"_ She had sniffled and nodded at his words. Kazuo had always had a strange way of comforting her, supplying her with wisdom when she needed it. He had taught her to trust others. He had taught her that she wasn't alone in the world, that there were people she could rely on to help her.

She was snapped out of her moment of nostalgia by an enticing smell wafting through the air. Lia grinned, recognising the sweet scent immediately. She walked in it's direction, finally coming to a halt in front of a bakery, which doubled as an inn. _Just my luck._ She thought, walking into the nearly empty shop.

"Hello. Welcome to Cake and Bakes. What can I get for you today?" A brown haired man asked, boredom lacing his voice, looking up from the counter at Lia when she stepped in. The shop was empty except for the two, and delicious smells wafted through the air.

"Hi!" Lia replied, walking over and taking a look at the goods in the display. "Umm…" She wondered at the wide selection. " Could I please have 3 cinnamon rolls and the biggest cup of tea you have?" Lia asked.

"Sure." He answered, smiling to himself. "There's a fresh batch of the cinnamon rolls being made right now. If you're not in a hurry, you can wait for them. They're better warm in my opinion."

"I'd love to!" Lia beamed with enthusiasm under her cloak. "Also, do you have any rooms available for a long stay?"

"Yeah. There's one upstairs with a view of the water. Would that be suitable?" He glanced at her quizzically.

"Of course! Anything is fine by me really." Lia was actually grateful for the his consideration. _I'll have an escape route if I need one._

Lia smiled, paying the man, in return received a key to her room, and sat down at a table near the window, waiting for her tea. She was relieved that there was no one besides the owners in the shop and could relax. A few minutes later, the tea was brought and set on the table in front of her.

"Seriously?" Lia asked, staring at the unbelievably large cup in front of her. She looked up at the man, who had started chuckling.

"You said the biggest cup of tea." He shrugged, turning away, still amused. Lia glanced down at the cup. _Are you kidding me..._

"This is a cup? It's more like a bucket..." Lia shook her head as he left, tipping the giant mug and sipping the steaming tea.

Left alone, Lia sat looking out the window, sipping her tea, the peppermint reminding her of home. _Home…_ She mused. She felt a pang in her heart for Kazuo and Hiriko. _Wonder what they're doing right now… Having late lunch? Working? They usually would have spent pretty much every day taking care of me, but what are they doing now that I'm not there? Do they miss me? Being around so many people makes me feel lonely... If only they were here with me…_

She looked down into her tea, forgetting about the world around her. She brought a hand above it, taking a deep breath in. She swirled her hand, drawing the golden liquid up, watching it twist and fold into shape.

The transparent golden rose in front of her spun slowly, as if a jewel on display, turning to have all it's side's seen. She smiled. _I guess the hours of studying plants and flowers paid off for now..._ Lia sighed, remembering the grueling classes with Hiriko concerning gardening.

Each leaf was delicately shaped; each petal was gently sculpted, almost too fragile to even look at. The center of the bulb glowed with imbued magic, curling into the petals, running down the stems and leaves, forming veins, pulsating, almost breathing.

The baker entered, carrying a plate of cinnamon rolls, almost dropping them, having seen the flower. Lia jerked up, dropping the water back into the mug, taking a sip out of it, pretending nothing had happened as she stared forward to the wall. She could feel her cheeks flush red from embarrassment. Suddenly her cloak felt hot and stuffy.

The man nonchalantly set a trio of cinnamon rolls in front of her, going along with her act. He was about to leave again when Lia noticed a framed colored sketch of the baker with a few others, a boy with white hair, a slightly older guy with blue hair, and a girl with blonde hair. Lia's curiosity spiked, recognizing the white hair with electric blue eyes. _He looks just like Zen._

"Hey, um…" The baker turned at her words. "Who are the people in that picture, if you don't mind my asking." She pointed forward. The baker followed her finger, a small smile appearing on his face.

"That's prince Zen and his two aides. They once came here for lunch." He stated proudly, turning away.

Lia nodded, her gaze hovering on the picture before she looked down on her plate, picking up a steaming roll and happily biting into it. The dough was soft and airy, buttery and smooth. The cinnamon swirls were almost saccharine, complementing the not sweet enough dough, just as she liked. She grinned, gobbling it down.

Finally finished with her food, she brought the empty cup and plate to the counter, complementing the rolls and thanking the baker.

She decided to walk around town some more before going to her room, wanting to explore her surroundings and find the quickest way to the palace, as well as needing to clear her head.

The picture popped into her mind as she walked. Zen's hair was so recognizable, that she would probably be able to spot him in the middle of a crowd with his back turned to her. Lia smiled, remembering the time that she had been in the castle, before she had gone to live with Kazuo and Hiriko.

She had woken up in the pharmacy, hungry, thirsty, aching, barely able to move. Every breath ripped at her throat. Every beat of her heart made her head throb. Her legs felt like lead. She had had no idea where she was. No idea how she got there. Fear had run rampant through her, although she had already begun getting used to the feeling. She turned her head to the side, silver curls brushing her face, to see a pair of blue eyes poking out from the edge of the bed- vibrant, curious.

The boy's head had whipped around, pure white hair swishing. "Hey Garrak! She's awake!" He called out, his loud voice bringing a sharp stab to Lia's already painful headache. The blond haired physician had rushed over, giving her medicine, food, and water.

Zen had visited every day, most of the time skipping out of his small amount of work to read to her, or tell her stories. Lia would always quietly listen, liking his presence, but never having anything to say in return. After a while, her majesty Haruto and the head magician, she couldn't quite remember his name, had asked Kazuo and Hiriko to look after her and teach her to control the magic inside her.

It was then that Lia left the castle, not having seen Zen since. She felt almost nervous. _Is he the same person that he was? Kind? Caring for his people? Has he changed? Does he even remember who I am?_

 _I guess I'll meet him soon enough..._

* * *

It had taken her hours to figure out the layout of the town. Finally, she had found the wharf, and strolling along it, she watched the lights turn on in the houses next to her as dusk turned to night.

The warm lights of the lamps lit up the cobblestone; the cold light of the moon cast a silver path on the water. Thousands of blue flames lit up the dark sky, brightly glowing and mirroring in the water.

A few people walked by, families going home, or sometimes a couple was out for a stroll. As the night progressed, fewer and fewer people became apparent. After a while, Lia noticed a figure, not purposefully going anywhere, not leaving either. _What a weird guy..._ She dismissed her feelings of suspicion, turning and walking away, but couldn't shake them off.

She sauntered on, looking up at the sky. _I've gone so far from home… The stars are exactly the same, but its a long way to Hiriko and Kazuo… Maybe I should write them a letter tomorrow telling them I've arrived? Probably. They would appreciate it._ She paused. _Would they though...? Did they ask me to come here for my sake or for theirs...? Do they actually care about me...?_ Lia turned her head forward, determinately not letting her fears get ahold of her. _Doesn't matter anymore. I'm away from them. I'll send the letter tomorrow. If they don't respond, then they don't respond. Nothing I can do about that right now._

She made her way closer to the bakery, not yet wanting to go inside, but not wanting to have wandered off too far. She leaned over the stones separating her from the water, staring into the dark abyss. She twitched, seeing movement out of the corner of her eye.

 _That guy... He's here? Is he following me?_ Glancing over at him, her eyes narrowed out of suspicion. She couldn't make out his face in the dark. Paranoia crept in. _I have to leave. Now. But if I go to the bakery, he would find out where i'm staying… I need to divert his attention and then run for it…_ She casually straightened out, waiting for the man to get closer, watching out of the corner of her eye. _What a jerk… What is he even planning to do? Kidnap me?_ Her face hardened, body tensed. _Two more steps… NOW!_

Lia flew at him, her fingers curled up in a fist. He lept back, reflexes faster than she had expected. He landed a few feet away, taking a step back, but tripping backwards over a tree root Lia had coaxed out of the ground. It swirled and fastened around his feet, not letting him get up.

"What the… " She heard him mutter right before her fist connected with his face, knocking him down.

She shrieked, running away, panicked, as if she was the one who had been attacked. She heard his disgruntled groans behind her as the vines loosened, retreating back into the ground, allowing him to get up after Lia had disappeared.

She ran, taking a roundabout way to the bakery to lose him in case he tried to follow. She slammed the door behind her, diving underneath a table out of fright. _Did he follow me? Did he see where I went? Why was he after me anyway?_

The brown haired baker looked up from the counter, watching her in confusion as she peeked out from under the table, looking out the window.

 _It was so stupid. WHY did I do that? He was so fast! He could have hurt me instead! Stupid!_ Lia sat back down holding her knees to her chest, terrified.

"Uh… Are you okay?" He asked, snapping Lia out of her thoughts.

"Oh. Um… Yeah. Sorry for the commotion." She stood, dusting her clothes off, going up to her room, her face reddening from embarrassment underneath her hood.

Lia collapsed on the floor, not wanting to dirty the bed. She had roamed the city for hours, gotten lost, and barely found her way back after asking for a lot of people's help. Then, she had been stalked by a creepy guy.

She groaned, dragging herself to the bathroom and turning the water on for a bath. She stepped in, fully washing herself for the first time in a week. She felt like melting into the water.

 _The exams starting the day after tomorrow… I shouldn't walk around to much… I don't want to be noticed by too many people… They'll think I'm suspicious… I wear a hooded cloak and don't show my face, after all… I can't blame them…_ She gently closed her eyes. _I shouldn't show myself at the exam either. I don't want to be picked on though…_ Frustration built up inside of her, causing a groan escape. _Either they're gonna pick on me because of my hood, or because of my eyes… There's no way out of it… Whatever. At least I managed to find a shorter route to the castle._

She quickly washed and got out of the bath, putting on a long shirt she had bought just that afternoon, along with enough clothes to look decent for a week. Climbing into the bed, she was too exhausted to even bother turning the light off, falling asleep in a matter of minutes.

* * *

Obi sauntered into the sunlit study, greeting everyone in his usual way. Zen looked up at him, stopping to stare.

"What happened to your face?" The prince blinked rapidly, as if not believing his eyes. "Please tell me you didn't get into a fight with the guards..." Zen sighed, exasperated.

"Actually, master, I didn't fight. I was attacked when I went to get herbs from town for Shirayuki yesterday." Obi smiled, wincing, remembering his walk gone wrong. Zen raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Oh? And attacked by whom? A drunk guy at a bar? Did you provoke him?" Zen was on the verge of grabbing the assassin by his collar.

"Ouch master, that insult hurts more than the punch." He frowned, pretending to be genuinely hurt. "You see, there was this wonderful girl last night…"

"OBI! Don't talk about your nights with women!" Mitsuhide scolded, his face turning beet red.

"...And I was just minding my own business…" He continued on, ignoring the aid. "...taking a walk… and she just jumps out of nowhere and attacks." Zen huffed at him, not believing the story. "Oi! It's true! I'm the victim here!"

"If that's true, then why didn't you question her?" Kiki asked suspiciously.

"She wailed like a banshee and ran away before I could ask why the heck she punched me." Obi complained, running his hand through his hair. He turned to Zen. "You should be more concerned of your citizen's well being, master."

"Eh. You'll be fine. Go ask Shirayuki for treatment." His eyes lit up. "I'll go with you!" _Of course master. Of course…_ Mitsuhide stepped up to Zen, towering over him threateningly.

"YOU HAVE WORK TO DO." He stated firmly, placing a hand on the desk. Obi could practically see Zen swallow. _An imposing Mitsuhide is actually quite scary… Wouldn't want to get on his bad side…_

"See you later master!" Obi called out to the prince as he left, making his way to the pharmacy.

* * *

She stood in an endless corridor, fading away to black on both sides. She stood in front of a door, identical to the rest. She stood, as if waiting for orders.

Slowly bringing a hand up to the doorknob, Lia turned it, the cold metal door chilling her hand, sending shivers up her arm. She pushed, opening the door to darkness, finding herself in a room, lacking all color and warmth.

She turned on a lantern, looking around as far as the light would travel. She couldn't see walls. Just the floor, a few red splatters leading away from her.

Following the trail, Lia noticed the splatters becoming bigger, grouping together into puddles. Fear gripped at her, paralyzing her, yet she kept walking. She didn't want to. But she couldn't stop. Her body wouldn't listen. It kept going, and going, following the path.

The the trail cut short, stopping at the body of a woman on the stone floor. Brown hair coming out of her messy bun, mixing with the red liquid. White clothes covered in grime, stained red.

Lia's eyes widened in recognition. She wanted to believe otherwise. She wanted to believe it didn't happen. She wanted to believe anything but the body that lay in front of her.

She stepped around, tip toeing, afraid to make a sound, as if she would wake up the person in front of her eyes.

She knelt, cautiously lifting the hair off the woman's face.

Lips cracked, pale, taking on a blue color. The mouth hung open. An endless black vortex. An eternal scream that would never be voiced.

Eyes stared out at her, sockets sunken in, unmoving, unyielding. Eyes- clouded, afraid.

Lia couldn't look away, terror filling every part of her. A pit formed in her stomach. She felt her heart thud, every slow beat sending a cold wave through her. Her mind blanked out.

All she could think, was that it was almost her own eyes she was staring into. Unique eyes that belonged to no one else…

But her mother.

She screamed.

Lia sat up, cold sweat covering her body, as she gasped for air. She shivered, still haunted by the eyes that bore into hers.

Dawn was just creeping up on the world, the sky becoming lighter, a pink tint just underneath the clouds.

Lia sighed, shivering, pulling the sheets around her as she crawled to the edge of the bed, watching the sun slowly rise, calming herself down. She was tired, but knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, and if if she did, nightmares would just come to wake her again.

She leaped off the bed, gasping as her feet touched the cold wooden floors. _Time to start the day!_ She washed her face, brushed and braided her hair, dressed, and grabbed her satchel, heading out the room and down the stairs.

Another man was at the counter. Some similarities to the previous one. Same brown hair, same eyes, same way of carrying himself. _Probably related in some way._

She gobbled down a few more cinnamon buns and some tea, before leaving the bakery, deciding to head to the library and do some last minute studying for the exam.

* * *

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

 **Please let me know your thoughts or suggestions!**

 **And thank you so so so much for reading!**

~~ **See you next time** ~~


	5. Chapter 5 - The Test

Lia cut through town, wanting to get to the castle faster, as to arrive early. The sun hadn't even risen yet, but was already lightening the sky. Most of the houses were still dark, casting deep shadows on the already dim streets.

The winding streets had confused her when she had gone exploring, but she felt like she was already recognizing buildings along her path. She still felt fuzzy and warm inside from her short sleep and overstuffing of cinnamon buns.

Rounding the corner, she stopped, trying to figure out which path to take. The clearing in front of her had several small roads, all leading to a fountain in the middle. She pulled her hood further down over her eyes, choosing a street that seemed the most memorable from her explorations before. Even with her swift pace and protective cloak, she couldn't help but feel vulnerable, especially after the incident with the stalker from a couple nights before.

The air was stale, not even a breeze blew in the morning's dawn. Much to Lia's surprise, her hood was suddenly pulled down and cloak lifted up from underneath.

"Hey girl. Watch'ya doing here? Where are you going?" A ragged man stood in front of her. The stench of alcohol and sweat was overwhelming. _Man… he really needs a bath… ugh._ It almost nauseated her.

"Is the little puppy lost? Why don't you come with us?" added a second man, who had come up behind her, bringing two others with him. _Ew. How crude. Not to mention cliche. Seriously. This is just like out of Hiriko's sappy novels..._ Her nose wrinkled.

"Well? Let's go little one, we can play a game. It'll be fun!" She turned, backing herself up against the building, holding her cloak to her sides to keep it from flying up like a flag. There wasn't any way she could scale the building behind her, and the men were blocking her path. Her face darkened ever so slightly with realization. _There was no breeze, and now there suddenly is. That means... At least one of them can use magic… Didn't expect that…_ She took a deep breath in. _Stay cool. Don't freak out. Just get to the castle. Is there any way to escape…?_ She glanced around. _Do I really have to fight? I don't know how strong they are… I have to break through one of them to even have a chance at running. What if they're faster than me?_

"The puppy has pretty eyes and hair. Wouldn't it be nice to see them a little closer?" He said, taking an unstable step towards her. _Punch him! Punch! Just like the creep from yesterday!_ Lia pulled together a strained smile, directed at the man, a second later, sent her fist at him.

She cried out in pain. A wall of ice had formed inches from his face, breaking into shards at her hit. Blood dripped from a cut across her fingers.

Lia lept back in shock as the men chuckled. _Ice?_ Her eyes widened. _They're good enough to use ICE?!_

A hand reached out for her neck. Lowering her head, she bit down on his outstretched hand, causing the man to whom it belonged, to scream profanities. _Ew. Shouldn't have done that… Tastes awful..._

As he stumbled back, Lia focused on the nearest tree she could find and extended it's root, bringing it to the surface. He tripped, grabbing onto one of his companions for support, but dragged them both down when the root wrapped itself around his ankle, not letting the man balance himself.

 _An opening!_ Lia jerked away from the wall, slipping past the two fallen men and running down the street. They didn't follow her.

 _Where am I anyway?_ It was lighter, and the houses grew more and more familiar to her in the light. _I've been here before…_ She stopped, turning to look back. _OH GODS NO._ Her face shriveled in disgust. _Red light district. I even told myself to avoid it… I even WROTE IT DOWN IN MY SKETCHBOOK… I'm such an idiot! Seriously. Reminder to not wander around without knowing where I'm going. Jeez. Could have ended a lot worse..._

She turned back forward, pulling her hood up, continuing to run toward the castle, slowing down once it was in sight to catch her breath. She wrapped her hand with her sleeve, not letting it drip onto the rest of her dress.

* * *

"Identification please?" One of the two gatekeepers asked as soon as she had arrived. The other, seemingly less poised, looked over at Lia curiously.

"Um… Here." She pulled out the letter from her pocket, giving it to the guard, who inspected it.

"Alright," he said, giving her back the paper. "Turn left and follow the path until you get to the doors. From there on, there will be guards to direct you to where the first part of the exam will take place." He turned to open the gate for her, letting her in.

Lia beamed, barely seen under her hood. "Thank you!"

As she walked away, she could hear the second gatekeeper comment "Seemed like a girl! Too bad she had her hood up. I hope she'll do well in the exam…"

"You say that about every girl, Kai…"

"But Shiira!" He whined. "All of the others were guys… It's unusual to find a girl who uses magic! Of course I want her to do well!" Shiira stared at him with a poker face as Kai continued to talk at him.

Lia giggled to herself, reaching the doors as directed and being led to a large hall, where a few others were already waiting, along with a few dozen guards inside, with more stationed outside the room, peeking inside the windows. There were two chairs at each table, providing ample room for each person.

"Hello!" An old man came up to her, sticking a hand out. "I'm Fumio, the current head magician here at Wistal." Lia's eyes widened, as she shook his hand. _Shaking hands? That's unusual… Isn't bowing usually the custom?How weird…_

"I'm Lia. One of the current applicants to the position of apprentice magician at Wistal." Fumio chuckled at her statement.

"Well, good luck in the exam!" He said, winking, walking away almost with a little skip.

 _What a weird guy… Was he the one I met years ago when I stayed here?_

Lia sat down at a table at the back of the room, on the end, hoping to avoid unnecessary attention and people. She didn't like being watched, having too many eyes upon her.

Just as she was starting to get accustomed to the glances of the guards, a man sat down next to her, hooded, just like everyone else.

"I had a feeling you would be applying here." The man stated, surprising Lia. _He won't try to do anything with this many people around, will he?_ "It was pretty obvious you could use magic after making that water rose." _HIM. That's the baker. It has to be. He was the only one who saw it. Wait. Why is he here? Can he use magic too?_

Lia was about to ask, when the head magician, Fumio, clapped his hands, gathering everyone's attention.

"I've already introduced myself to all of you, but just incase you forgot, my name is Fumio, and I am the head magician here at Wistal." The applicants watched him, some picking their nails, seemingly bored, others sitting straight up, paying attention to every syllable. "Today you will be completing the first part of the exam." The magician continued, walking around the room to pass a stack of papers to each person. "You must score at least a 70 percent to pass to the next part. After you have finished, please wait in the courtyard for your results." He smiled, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "You may begin."

Lia stared at the stack in front of her. _There's over 50 pages back and front…_ She turned to the very last one, glancing at the question number. _350?! Why in the world did he put 350 questions on an exam?! Does he have a sadistic streak or something? 350 times 0.7 is… 245? I need to get that many correct…?_ She groaned internally, turning again to the very front and picking up the pencil given to her. _Might as well start…_

 _Name:__

She paused, considering what to write in the blank.

 _Name: Lia Draegonna_

The next page held a summary of contents.

 _History/Geography_

 _Elemental Magic_

 _Alchemy_

 _Language_

 _Dark Magic_

She paused on the last section. _Dark magic? They teach it here too? Kazuo told me it was for the most part forbidden in Clarines…_ She turned to the next page, marked as 'History/Geography'.

 _1._ _From what compass direction did magic originate?_

 _a. North_

 _b. South_

 _c. East_

 _d. West_

 _It originated in Sai… and Sai is to the south… B._

 _2\. The ancient language of magic is called_

 _a. Itanbarun_

 _b. Vikotarn_

 _c. Sai'ian_

 _d. Clarinian_

 _Ancient Sai'ian…_ Lia sighed, continuing to work on the questions, putting answers that had been drilled into her by Hiriko until she could recite them in her precious sleep.

 _Elemental Magic_

 _76\. Which of these is not one of the four magic elements?_

 _a. Fire_

 _b. Water_

 _c. Wind_

 _d. Earth_

 _e. Metal_

 _Metal. Obviously… Everyone knows that._

 _81\. What element is most easily combined with others?_

 _a. Fire_

 _b. Water_

 _c. Wind_

 _d. Earth_

 _e. Metal_

 _Literally, why is metal even an option for anything on this test… It's one of the only things a magician can't really impact unless it's overloaded with magic and explodes… The answer is wind._

 _Alchemy_

 _144\. Magic infused Basil oil, Sandalwood oil, and Rosemary oil, create which one of these potions?_

 _a. Compelling potion_

 _b. Seeking potion_

 _c. Silencing potion_

 _d. Sleeping potion_

 _Uhhh… Compelling potion I think…? I probably should have reviewed this more..._

 _195\. At what time does one infuse a plant with magic?_

 _a. When it's a seed_

 _b. When it's a sapling_

 _c. When it is fully grown_

 _As soon as it is alive. So seed. You honestly don't even need earth magic to do that…_

 _Language_

 _216\. In Sai'ian, what ending do most known verbs have?_

 _a. -o_

 _b. -ic_

 _c. -e_

' _Laitvo' means 'to live' in ancient Sai'ian, so probably -o._

 _243\. What does the word 'Feito' mean when used to enhance elemental magic?_

 _a. Finish_

 _b. Find_

 _c. Fasten_

 _d. Fly_

 _Why would 'Finish' even be on here? It's so generalized. Even if I knew the word, it wouldn't do anything without intense concentration. And that would give anyone a headache. 'Feito' means 'to find'. A lot easier to do, especially if you're throwing a knife at an opponent that you are staring directly at._

A scrape of wood and a rustle broke Lia out of her concentration. She looked up, surprised to see someone already turning in their test. She turned her eyes back down. _I'm only on question 257… How are they already done…?_

 _Dark Magic_

 _258\. Is it possible to bring a living being back to life after death using magic?_

 _a. Yes_

 _b. No_

 _c. Partially_

Lia grimaced. _No. If a person's dead, then they're dead. Nothing anyone can do about it except give them a proper burial or cremation, whichever the family wants._

 _350\. Do dragons exist?_

 _a. Yes_

 _b. No_

 _c. Partially_

 _Real dragons don't… But human spirits take on an ethereal form when they are called upon, representing the human's soul. So it's possible in a way..._

Lia glanced at the clock as she stood to hand in her packet. _1'o-clock… It's been 4 HOURS?!_ She glanced behind her. _They're still working…_ She sweatdropped. Giving the paper to the magician, he nodded, glancing at the first page, and then continued to grade the test that was turned in before her.

Silently, she walked out of the room, finding the massive courtyard. She raised her head. Her eyes widened, breath hitched. Just beyond the stone courtyard stood a garden, as large as Kazuto's field. She ran over, to the stone railing, separating the tiled floor from the ground, looking out in amazement.

Among the green grass that waved in the wind, poked out hundreds of blue, pink, red, yellow, and white flowers. Some were big, some small. Some grouped together in clusters, others stood alone. _Begonias, daisies, poppies, dandelions, carnations… They even have sunflowers… It's beautiful…_ She smiled, closing her eyes, enjoying the breeze that wafted the scents to her, cleansing her tiredness away.

A flap of wings startled her, making her eyes snap open, just as a bird whooshed past her, the wind pushing her hood back, her braid falling out. She looked up, watching a brilliantly blue bird circle around her, landing on the railing. It cocked it's head, black eyes sparkling like jewels, watching Lia. She mimicked the bird's movements, smiling in adoration at the creature. A sharp whistle resounded in the garden, and the bird took off, flying towards a black haired girl that was bounding over to Lia.

"I'm so sorry!" The girl exclaimed, out of breath, the bird on her arm. "Popo tends to startle other people. I'm sorry!" She bowed, surprising Lia more than the bird had.

"No, no, it's okay! Animals tend to not like me, so it's nice for a change." Lia answered, waving her hands in front of her nervously. The black haired girl was about to say something when a voice called out from the other side of the garden.

"Kihal! I'll see you later!" A redheaded girl stood, waving her arm in the air as a farewell, before picking up a basket and heading inside the building, a guy trailed behind her, carrying a basket as well.

"See you!" The black haired girl responded, waving her hand in the air as well. She turned around, eyes sparkling, beaming at Lia, who had tucked her braid back into her cloak, hiding the silver ends, pulling the hood up. "I'm Kihal! What's your name?"

"I'm Lia."

"Nice to meet you! I'm from an island south of here. Popo is an indigenous bird from there. His kind are able to distinguish between different bell and whistle sounds. They are able to find the mineral ore that is out at sea and lead us to the fish. My people have become great friends with them!" Lia grinned at the girls excitement,patting the top of the bird's head. "I've come because the birds on our island are being hunted by the lord. I wanted to ask his highness Zen if there was anything that could be done to stop the lord, but at this rate, it seems unlikely."

"Zen will try his best to help you." _Zen hated responsibility and chores, but he did his best to help me, even though it probably didn't benefit him at the time…_ Kihal stared at the girl, whose face was laced with determination. _Zen will help. That is who he is. Or was._ "Im sure of it." she said, even more quietly than before.

"Anyway, I suppose you work here."

"Actually i'm just an examinee for one of the court magician positions."

"Eh?! That's so cool!" Lia smiled at the girl's enthusiasm.

"All applicants for the magic exam please gather in the courtyard for your results in fifteen minutes." A booming voice echoed across the palace grounds, making both girls jump.

"Well that's me…" Lia sighed. "I'll see you around! I hope everything works out well for you and Popo!" Lia smiled, patting the bird on the head.

Kihal smiled. "Thank you! I should get going too. I have a meeting with Prince Zen soon. I hope you pass the exam!" Kihal grinned, running off into the castle. Lia giggled watching her go, then turned around, heading to the pavilion.

* * *

 _It's been more than 15 minutes. Way more._ Lia sat on the railing, her arms crossed, irked at the lateness of the magician.

"I'm sorry to keep you all waiting, my friends!" The magician exclaimed, running to the pavilion, arms flailing, eyes wide, and tummy bouncing with every step. Lia nearly fell off from where she was sitting, trying to keep her laughter in. "I will now read off the names of those who passed the test, with the lowest remarks first." The magician grinned as the group whined and groaned. "As your name is called, please step back into the examination room."

"Jiiro Oda, 279"

"Daichi Fukui, 283 "

"Ichiro Higashi, 287"

"... 294"

"... 298"

She zoned out, listening to the repetitive names and numbers accompanying them.

"Lia Draegonna, 325"

"Taro Matsuoka, 338"

"If your name has not been called out, you will be escorted-" His words cut off as the doors slammed closed between them.

Lia looked around the room. _There's only 16 of us left._ A figure caught her attention. _The guy from the bakery is still here._ She walked up to him, tapping him on the shoulder lightly.

"You're from the bakery, aren't you? What's your name?" She lightly asked.

He turned around. "Taro. And you?" _Taro. He was the last one to come into the room, if I remember correctly, meaning his score was the highest…_

"I'm Lia. Nice to meet you! By the way, how did you recognize me this morning?"

He pointed to her hood. "I haven't exactly ever seen your face, you know."

Lia smirked, pulling her hood down even further, until she could barely see his elbows. "What a shame."

The magician entered the room from a door on the other side of the room. Everyone's attention immediately focused on him, the entire room filling with silence as they waited for him to speak.

Fumio cleared his throat. "Congratulations to you all on passing the first portion of the exam. From now on, you will all be put on a points system. In each part of the exam, you will be able to achieve up to 10 points. Those who have the most points will be chosen as the court magicians. From now until the end of the exam, no one will be disqualified. Please keep in mind, that your attitude, cooperativity, and obedience to the rules will play a crucial role in the exam." He winked at them, then headed back out the door. He paused, turning his head toward the group, which was standing bewildered. "Oh, you're free to go, by the way. Please be on time tomorrow at nine o'clock sharp."

The door clicked shut.

"Is he playing a game with us?" "What's wrong with him?" "Is this all a joke?" "Why isn't he taking us seriously?" "I came here to become court magician, not waste my time." The group mumbled to each other, discontented. Lia pursed her lips, beelining for the door, not wanting to get involved.

She stepped outside, trying to put as much distance she could between herself and the others. _Why is it that they have to argue? Are they taking this that seriously? I mean, it's an exam, but lighten up! Honestly. It's not like anyone's hurt or dying! ...yet... … Even if he is toying with us, what's the harm? It's kinda fun._ She glanced behind her, noticing the other magicians coming out of the building, still complaining and arguing. Taro wasn't with them. _Either he's still inside, or went off somewhere. Oh well. Would've been nice to walk with someone instead of being alone._

Lia speed walked back to the bakery, making sure to steer clear of the route she had taken in the morning. _I wonder if Kihal's meeting with Zen went well… I'll try to find her tomorrow._ Her steps slowed. _What if she doesn't want to see me tomorrow? What if-_ Lia smacked her cheeks, earning herself a few stares from passerbys.

 _Snap out of it! Confidence is key! Hiriko said that! And you trust Hiriko, don't you?_

 _Yes..._

 _Then start acting like you do! You're not at home anymore. You have to be willing to seek out others and trust them._

 _Mother and Father told me to be careful of people around me though… I only have myself to watch out for me. No one else will care. I've already learned that…_

 _Not all people are bad. You decided to trust Kazuo and Hiriko even though you didn't know them, didn't you? And they're good. That means you can trust others too._

 _But what if they hurt me… or what if I hurt them…?_

 _You won't. If you believe and trust in yourself as well, then you won't._

 _But it's so hard to trust even a few people…_

 _Just do it, Lia… It'll all be okay._

* * *

 _ **Hullo everyone!**_

 _ **Another chapter is done!**_

 _ **I'm kinda slow at writing because school honestly takes up too much time T_T**_

 _ **I have decided though, that I will be publishing a chapter a month.**_

 _ **Anywayyyys, I hope you guys liked it, and please let me know your thoughts!**_

 _ **All the love in the world goes out to you 3**_

 _ **Baiiiii**_


	6. Chapter 6 - The Fight

Guards were clustered around the pavilion, watching over the exam with curiosity, most of them pretending to be on guard duty, some more so than others.

"Today we will be testing your physical abilities against each other. During this exercise, I will be gauging your physical strength, not your magic prowess. You will be disqualified if elemental magic is used or if you interfere with the matches in any way. Each match will be ended by myself, after I have judged each person's skills, but please try not to kill anyone. It would be such a pain to clean up."

Lia stood in the makeshift arena with the rest of the applicants, sweatdropping at the magician's remarks yet listening intently to him.

"You may choose any opponent, as long as they are a magic user. A person can only fight twice, once when they choose someone, and once when they are chosen. You may use weapons you have on yourself, or you may borrow any that we have on the table." Lia glanced over to where the court magician was pointing.

 _Does that mean we can use non elemental magic? Alchemy? Although I doubt most people will be carrying around vials of potions. Dark or speaking magic? That's relatively useless without the elements…_ She sweatdropped. _Whatever… Choose any opponent as long as they are a magic user…? That means that most of the guards are off limits… Would've been fun to train with them..._ Lia glanced around, finding her desired opponent and smirking once she found her choice.

"Alright, everybody find someone they want to fight? Great. Let's start." The magician looked over to the left end of the lineup. "You first." He said, to a man in his thirties, who immediately pointed at a scrawny boy, to be his opponent. "Everyone else, please stand behind the railing."

Lia turned, finding Kihal already standing in the stands of the makeshift arena. She ran over, squirming her way to the front, landing a spot in between her friend and a black haired man, who stared intently at the two men in the arena.

"Poor guy." Lia sighed, having quickly assessed the situation. "He doesn't stand a chance."

"Which one?" Kihal asked curiously, looking up at the girl, who was leaning her head on her hands, already bored.

"The gorilla of course." _Obviously… Who else…_ Lia said, noticing the black haired man's surprisingly cat-like eyes dart toward her, a slight smile spreading on his face before turning his eyes back to the front.

"Eh?! But he looks stronger than the other one!" Kihal exclaimed wide-eyed, believing him to be stronger than his opponent.

"Yeah, he's strong, but he's not agile, or fast for that matter." She yawned. "He's holding his sword like an axe- which would have probably suited him better. He seems like he's not used to handling a sword, because his stance and balance are both off. I'm surprised he hasn't fallen yet." As if right on cue, he turned around, trying to catch up to the quick scrawny boy, tripping in his own feet ending up face flat on the ground.

"Hehehe! My EVIL curse worked!" Lia jumped up, rubbing her hands together, cackling like a witch, as if she had planned the entire thing. Kihal shook her head in disbelief and giggled at the overreacting girl.

"THE WINNER IS IWAO!" The magician announced, raising the boy's arm up. The crowd roared. The man on the ground growled, fists punching the ground, veins bulging on his forehead. Lia sighed, putting her head in her hands once again. _How unattractive. Such a sore loser… Honestly…_

Lia almost started falling asleep, watching the boring fights, with the outcomes painfully predictable to her. Kihal shook her out of her drowsy state every few minutes, quietly scolding her. A few fights passed by as Lia waited for her turn, jumping over the railing and grabbing a sword, just one out of dozens of identical ones, as soon as the magician started to call her name.

"And who will your opponent be?" He asked, as Lia grinned mischievously under her hood, glad that it was there to hide her face.

"If I may, then you, sir." She stated cheerfully, the courtyard going silent. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Kihal's furiously shocked expression, with the black haired man next to her holding in a snicker as best he could, before letting out a laugh, Kihal whipping around to slap his shoulder. He immediately quieted, but still had the remnants of a grin on his face.

"May I ask why?" Fumio asked in return, eyes filled with a pleased curiosity.

Lia thought for a minute, lifting her head, hood rolling back enough for her eyes to meet his. "Might as well spar with a certified court magician than picking a person out at random and hoping they're stronger than me so that I can learn to fight better from them."

He smiled, nodding his head in understandment. "Alright, let's start then as soon as you're ready." He said, taking a few steps back, positioning himself into a fighting stance and drawing out a sword of his own from under his cloak.

Lia backed up as well, trying to assess the figure standing before her, all disturbances fading away, disappearing from her focus. Everything stilled as she shot forward, racing towards the head magician, pinpointing an open spot on his neck. She struck hand out, wanting to knock him off balance quickly, but he gracefully moved his hand up to hers without so much as a batt of the eye, grabbing her wrist and twisting it. She wrenched her hand from his grasp, launching herself back, processing the information he gave her. _He's fast, agile. Predicts my movements. Uses my strength against me._

She held the sword up, the heavy, wide, straight blade feeling awkward in her hand. She frowned slightly, swinging it swiftly towards Fumio. It rebounded as it was hit to the side, bouncing back towards her, the momentum uncontrollable. Her eyes widened in fear before her reflexes took over, letting go of the sword and somersaulting back. The sword landed in front of her, wedged in the ground. She pulled it out, standing up to face the magician once again.

 _He's not attacking. He's had many opportunities, so why doesn't he do it? Is he staying on defense purposefully? Or is it that he can't go on offense? I won't be able to beat him this way. Let's see if I can at least make him move from his spot._ She walked over to him slowly, conserving her energy until she got close enough to attack. In a split second, her sword was up against his, clashing mercilessly, endlessly.

"You don't give up, do you? He asked quietly, blocking yet another one of her quick cuts.

"If Clarines was up against a stronger opponent, I wouldn't back down and surrender, now would I?" She muttered back, out of breath.

The magician smiled back, twisting her sword out of her grasp.

She jumped back, out of Fumio's reach, crouching, marks appearing in the ground as she skidded back, the sword too far away from her, and too close to him. _I won't be able to reach for it. Not when he's that good at defense. I can't knock him down either. He hasn't even moved his feet._ Lia smiled. _Might as well try harder._

Her muscles tensed, getting ready to spring up. She carefully unbuttoned her cloak, holding it together, hoping he wouldn't notice or predict her actions. Lia jumped, twisting in the air, letting her cloak fall, the few seconds of cover letting her move to his side, spinning to gather enough momentum to kick him in the back of the knees, causing him to momentarily double over and take a step forward to balance himself.

Just as she got ahold of her sword, Fumio hit her firmly on the back of her neck, the pain making her collapse. _It's over._

Lia smiled at the magician. _I did it. I was able to make him move from his spot._ She relaxed, taking in a deep breath before standing up, pain still causing her muscles to spasm, and curtsying to him.

"Thank you." She said quietly. _Thank you for fighting with me. Thank you for teaching me._

Fumio chuckled. "You're welcome, child." He picked up her cloak from the ground, handing it to her. "I would really like to see how you would fight with a different sword. That one didn't seem to suit you."

She grinned in response, turning away to put her cloak back on and head out of the arena. Seeing the crowd, she suddenly became self conscious, and slightly embarrassed at her spectacle of a fight. Lia caught eye contact with Kihal, a shiver sending through her spine at the furious girl's expression. She casually walked over, gulping as she stood next to her.

"Hey Kihal, how are you doing?" She asked, as casual as possible, waiting for her impending doom.

"HOW AM I DOING? QUESTION IS, WHAT WERE YOU DOING?!" Lia grimaced as Kihal scolded her. "You could have died! You could have gotten hurt!"

"I seriously doubt the chances of Fumio killing or hurting me are higher than the others applicants doing it." Lia responded, shrugging.

Kihal sighed, giving in. "Be careful, okay? By the way, your hair is really pretty." Lia's eyes widened, realizing everyone had seen it. "How did it become silver on the ends?"

"U-um haha. I guess I was just born with it." She tapped her fingers on the railing nervously. "And it grew out to a brown…?" She said, voice cracking in the middle of a sentence like a goat's. She cringed at herself, turning away from Kihal before she was going to ask any more questions. She leaned at the railing watching the next applicant pick out his opponent.

"That was a good fight." She turned to look at the person next to her who had spoken. Golden cat-like eyes, one with a bruise over it, stared back to her cloak covered ones.

"Thanks." She replied, a smile gracing her lips. Their attention was brought back to the arena as a shout rang out and swords collided.

The fights were mostly boring to Lia, since she wasn't fighting them herself. Taro had gone, beaten his opponent, and left. Some came out of their matches with not even a scratch, while others had bruises, cuts, sprains, one even had a bone broken.

The head magician called out another name, a man stepping out of the crowd. Lia had almost started falling asleep again when the man had announced his opponent, outstretching a finger to point. Realization dawned upon Lia. _Oh dear… I still have one more match to go through.. Don't I…_ She sighed, jumping over the railing, heading over to her opponent.

"Lia!" She turned back as Kihal shouted her name out. "Don't do anything stupid."

She grinned at the black haired girl as she held her arms crossed. "I'll try."

The light brown haired man had a cocky smirk plastered on his face, already annoying Lia. She picked up a sword, the uncomfortableness presenting itself to her, as she gripped it tightly. She moved her feet into a defensive position, waiting for her opponent to attack.

Seconds later, she was blocking slashes from the man, barely withstanding his unyielding hits. When she couldn't keep up, she dodged, backing up away from him, inching closer and closer to the railing. She was becoming trapped, in between the man and the edge of the makeshift arena. Her sword protected her from his, but it was heavy, slowing down her movements. Lia was growing tired, still not recovered from the exertion of the previous match.

Another step back had her almost lose her balance, hood falling down, her sword being knocked out from her hands. She dove out of the way, rolling on the ground a few feet before she came to a stop, crouching on the ground to steady herself. She watched helplessly as the man turned towards her, holding both his and her weapons.

He launched himself at her, she dodged, leaped, somersaulted, anything to keep herself from being stabbed by the blades. She managed to duck under the swords, kicking him in the stomach, sending him to land on his butt as she moved as far away as possible trying to catch her breath. She crouched on the other side of the arena, waiting for the man, who had already stood up, to come after her again.

She felt a sudden tug on her head from behind, distracting her and making her lose her balance, falling back.

 _Something's wrong… Why was my hair pulled…? Why does it feel light…?_ She sat back up, hair falling to her face, soft strands curling and tickling her neck. Time slowed as she stared at the uneven brown ends.

 _My hair… It's short… Why is it short…? When… oh_. Her expression darkened, realizing the person behind her had cut it. She glanced behind, finding the smug face holding her cut off braid in the air like a prized trophy, as if it were his biggest accomplishment. She could hear the echoes of the murmurs and snickers of people around her, some pitying, and some laughing at her.

Her heartbeat crashed through her, reminiscent of stormy waves against jagged rocks below a cliff. Her blood boiled with anger. Her mind instantly cleared and focused at the sight of her opponent charging towards her with the swords outstretched, ready to pierce through her mercilessly.

 _Let's end this so I can deal with the other one. How about it?_

She sidestepped, one of the swords cutting her thigh, the gash making blood drip down, covering all the way down to her boots. She moved away from the man, trying to buy time for herself. She could hear the crowd still talking about her, some voices filled with pity, some with spite. She caught sight of Kihal, standing at the edge of the pavilion, her hands clutching her chest, a look of fear and worry written on her face. Lia turned her attention back to the man, who's rage filled eyes were looming only a few feet in front of her, about to bring the two swords down onto her. Her instincts took over.

She didn't care if she was taken out of the exam. She didn't care if she was humiliated and sent home. She was fed up with the arrogant idiots who played dirty and seemed to want to end her life.

She closed her eyes, her hands moving in front of her horizontally, crossing over ever so slightly, grasping the air. She pulled them apart swiftly, drawing two swords out of the air, appearing and clanging against her opponent's, just in time. His eyes widened in surprise at seeing her swords, dashing back to the other side of the pavilion, tense and on guard. The audience had silenced, staring at her.

Lia glanced down at the swords she was holding with indifference. They were long, the handle fitting perfectly in her hands, and each lighter than expected. The blade was ever so slightly curved, but was incredibly more comfortable to use than a straight sword from before. They were translucent, the blade itself glowing a silvery purple, and swirling around it were wispy ribbons of blue, white, red and green.

 _Focus on your opponent, Lia. Don't let yourself become distracted. Take him out._

Her eyes met with his deathly gaze. They came at each other, deflecting each other's hits, speed rising with each blow. The light, curved swords allowed her agility and movement that the previous sword couldn't. Using two swords at the same time let her be on both offense and defense, without having to choose between either option.

Lia broke through, her blade sending one of the swords flying away. The once cocky man desperately tried to defend himself with his remaining sword, but was overwhelmed by the girl in front of him.

The sword shattered. His face contorted in pain as he fell forward onto his knees after receiving a quick kick in his groin. Lia darted to the side of him, extending her swords around his neck.

"As of this moment, the match has concluded!" The head magician's voice boomed throughout the pavilion, bringing her out of her focus before she had the chance to slice. "The winner is Lia!" The crowd erupted in cheers at the announcement. She withdrew her swords, noticing a thin line of blood appearing at the man's throat.

She turned on her heels, walking toward the man who had cut her hair, her anger at him returning like a blazing fire. His once triumphant look had been replaced by one of terror as the girl approached. She pointed a sword at him, the onlookers quieting, then murmuring at her action.

"W-why a-are you p-pointing that at me?" he stuttered, pretending to be oblivious of the braid he was holding in his hand.

"I love what you've done with your hair." Lia seethed. "How did you get it to come out of your nostrils like that? I'm guessing that's why you wanted my hair, to make some BEAUTIFUL extensions for yourself, right?" The man stood shocked, insulted, yet fear stricken from the untameable fire in her eyes. Lia waited for a response, but after getting none, continued. "I was hoping for a battle of wits, but you've appeared to have come unarmed. It's such a pity. I would have loved to insult you more, but it appears to be beyond the level of your intelligence."

The pavilion was silent. No one had any way to respond to the furious girl. Exasperated, she huffed, pulling her hood over her head and turning away from the idiot who looked like he was about to pee himself. The audience started whispering, talking, then laughing at the events that had just transpired. She let go of her transparent swords, walking away as they vanished into the air as soon as her grasp on them relinquished.

Even through her high pain tolerance, every step brought a sharp ache to her thigh as dark blood gushed out the cut, soaking into the fabric, hidden underneath her cloak. The adrenaline Lia had had before, which had relieved her of pain, was now gone, filling her with exhaustion. She tried to walk as smoothly as possible, to avoid others noticing her injury.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw three figures that had appear next to the relieved, yet shocked Kihal. _Honestly, she doesn't contain any of her emotions, does she?_ Lia immediately recognized one of newcomers as Zen. He was grinning stupidly, holding back giggles, probably having seen the fights, both physical and verbal. A pair of guards, similar to those in the picture from the bakery, a rather tall man, and a blonde haired woman, were both smiling on one side of the prince. The cat eyed man she had been standing next to before, hadn't even tried to contain his laughter, and she could almost hear him over the rest of the crowd.

Realization hit her; she had seen that smile before. Somewhere. She couldn't remember where or even when. She had seen that smile. Countless times. She was sure of it.

She continued trying to remember as she made her way to the pharmacy, needing her injured leg to be treated.

* * *

Lia stood the pharmacy door, finding a few people inside, working diligently.

"Excuse me.." she timidly stated, gaining the attention of a red haired girl, who smiled up at her. _She's the same one from when I met Kihal..._ "I have a few cuts and i was wondering if someone could patch me up…?" She grinned nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"Yeah, sure! I'll be right there! Take a seat in the room next door." The girl replied, looking at the cuts then proceeding to get up, grabbing some herbs. Lia did as she was told, and sat down on the bed, sinking into the cushion, her eyes widening. _Its so fluffy…_

The red headed girl walked into the room, kneeling down to help Lia take off her boots and leggings, which were both soaked in blood.

"How did you get this?" The redhead asked, a frown on her face.

"Oh, I'm an applicant for the magician's apprenticeship. We uh… had to fight and I had a misstep." Lia smiled bitterly, wincing as the girl applied medicine on her cut and pulled a bandage out of her pocket.

"Eh? Fumio is asking people to fight? Was anyone else hurt?" The redhead girl seemed worried, panicked even, as she quickly finished wrapping Lia's thigh.

"I think there were a few scratches, bruises and one broken arm, along with some sprains, but that's it." Lia answered, watching the redhead's face turn into horror.

"I'll be right back." The girl ran out of the room. Lia could faintly hear her voice talking to someone, a boy sounding younger.

"Ryuu, Fumio held matches for the magicians. Some are hurt." The worried girl explained.

"I'll go and check. Stay with your patient, and treat anyone who comes by." The boy calmly answered, his light footsteps fading away as he left.

"SHIRAYUKI!" Lia flinched at the familiar shrill voice of Kihal. "Have you seen Lia?!"

"Who?"

"The girl with a dark blue cloak that had her leg almost cut off!"

The redhead laughed, entering the room where Lia sat, head down, waiting for her doom.

"LIAAA!" _Oh no. Here she comes…_ "YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING STUPID!"

She averted her eyes out of shame as Kihal chopped her on the head. "S-sorry Kihal…"

"Honestly! What were you thinking?" The black haired girl sighed, sitting down next to the brunette.

"I didn't really have any choice when it came to fighting… He would have probably killed me if I didn't fight back. As to the other guy…" Lia started simmering, just thinking about him. "Cutting off a person's hair is EXTREMELY rude! Took me eight years to grow it out! And do you know how much of a pain in the butt curls are?!" Lia inhaled deeply, having ranted in one breath. "Really…"

"Someone cut your hair off during a fight?" The redhead asked, surprised, continuing to apply ointment on Lia's cuts and bruises.

She nodded her head. "Speaking of which, could one of you even it out a little for me? I'm afraid I'll mess it up more if I try to do it myself." Kihal sighed, going into the other room to find scissors, seeing as the redhead was busy treating the scabbed scratches she had found on Lia's hands. "I forgot to ask, what's your name by the way? I'm Lia, as you've probably heard from Kihal earlier…"

The redhead sweat dropped. "Yeah, I heard loud and clear." Lia giggled. "I'm Shirayuki. It's nice to meet you."

"And you as well!" Lia beamed a smile, as Kihal walked into the room, pulling the hood down, and snipping away at the long ends.

"Hey, Lia, why did you decide to apply for the magician's apprenticeship? Isn't it dangerous?" Kihal asked.

 _She's right. Why did I? It's not like I stand a chance against some of the other candidates. They're smarter, stronger, more experienced._

"At first my parents wanted me to try for it, and I didn't want to fight with them or disappoint them by not even trying." _I still miss Kazuo and Hiriko… But the longer I'm here, and the more people I meet, the more I want to get to know them. I want to see more of the world. I want to see the life around me. I want to see everything that I've missed out on in my life._ She twiddled with the edges of her cloak while the other two girls finished up their work. "I guess now that I'm here, I want to stay, and discover new things, new people, new places." _But why magic? Aren't I decent at other things? Ones where I won't be at risk, and won't put others at risk either?_ "A magician's foremost duty is to guard Clarines. Yeah, it can be dangerous, but that's why I want to do it. I want to learn how to protect the people I care for..." _Since I wasn't able to before._ "I want to do my best!" She beamed, her eyes lighting up with determination.

Shirayuki smiled back. "I want to protect the people around me too! I'm not very good at fighting, and don't have much magic, so I use medicine to help others. I understand your feelings, and I won't lose to you!"

Lia's smile grew wider.

"I want to protect the people and animals on my island- that's why I'm even here. I can't bear for them to be hurt. So I won't lose to you either!" Kihal exclaimed.

Lia's smile couldn't grow any bigger as she heard Kihal's statement. Something bubbled inside her. Something full of happiness, excitement. Something that looked forward to the future. _We've just met, but I already want to talk with them more, stay with them longer. I want to be by their side._

* * *

It was already the afternoon when Lia finally left the pharmacy, walking on the second floor of the castle, looking out to the pavilion where the test would take place. She had had lunch with Kihal and Shirayuki, discussing various topics and somehow ending up discussing If-cats-and-dogs-had-evolved-and-developed-human-characteristics-which-one-would-have-had-a-better-government-system-and-why.

Popo's trial was going to be in half an hour. She had promised Kihal she would attend. She had been surrounded by people ever since the morning, but now finally being alone again brought her mind back the the events of that day. Shock suddenly hit her.

 _I DREW SWORDS OUT OF AIR?! WHat?! HOw? I don't even know what kind of magic that is, much less how to do it…! Please tell me it's not elemental magic… That would mean that I'm disqualified… But if it's dark magic, then that's not any better._ She groaned internally, hitting her head against the pillar behind her. _Those swords were weird as well. Long, yet curved…? Haven't seen anything like that in years. I'll have to look it up when I get the chance._

She sighed, turning toward the pavilion, feet swinging in the air, tapping her heels against the edge of the wall as she waited; a crowd gathering below her. A few people she recognized easily, like the duo of red and black. _Shirayuki and Kihal…_ They were conversing- more like Shirayuki reassuring a nervous Kihal.

"Hey, have you heard?!" "About the bird, right?" "What?" "What bird?" "Prince Zen is doing something, and it sounds like fun!" A tick mark appeared on Lia's forehead. _Do the guards even work here or do they just slack off…_

Her attention was reverted back to the duo when a black haired man strode up to them, the same one from before, the one with catlike eyes and a bruise, the one whose smile could light up a room.

Soon after, Zen and his two aides joined, speaking a few words, then they all dispersed, walking over to their positions. Shirayuki and Kihal with Popo on one side of Zen, with the three attendants on the other side, leaning against the wall where Lia sat- a man with a scar on his nose joining them.

Lia quickly pushed herself off the railing, jumping into a tree and settling there, careful not to strain her leg. She was just a few meters away from the attendants, wondering if they had heard her jump down. _Apparently not…_

Zen cleared his throat loudly, gaining the attention of everyone gathered. "Thus, the content of the exam is as follows. The destination is in the western direction of the castle, about 10km away in a straight line. That distance would take horses forty minutes for a round trip. We'll let the bird carry a letter to the lookout fortress at Kokoku, and the person at the fortress would take that letter, sign it, and then tie the bell on the bird and let it fly back to the castle. Everything has to be over within twenty-five minutes. If all the conditions are met, I will acknowledge the use of the birds. But if not, we will take it that this never happened."

The guards murmured to each other. "It turned out simpler than I thought…" "Don't be stupid! A bird is going to do this, not a human!" "Going to Kokoku and coming back in twenty-five minutes…?"

"If that bird can really do such a trick, it'd be groundbreaking." Lia overheard the man with the scar on his nose state.

"Well, let's watch, Lord Zakura." Answered the blue haired attendant next to him.

Zen continued with his speech. "Lady Kihal will be the one to dispatch the bird, and her assistant will be Lady Shirayuki." He gestured to the duo. "I will have three guards traveling with her to observe the happenings at the lookout fortress. That's all."

The guards turned excited as soon as Shirayuki was mentioned. Now that she thought about it, she remembered the redhead mentioning Zen and his attendants a few times when they talked that day. _Are they friends?_

"Oh. Now there's one more thing to look at, huh?" The scar nosed man said to himself, getting confused looks from the other three.

"Eh?" The blue haired man asked, curious as to what the other meant.

The man smiled. "Nothing."

Sudden loud laughter caught the crowd's attention. "Pfft-hahahahaha! Hahahaha! I see! And I was wondering why his highness suddenly thought of something so crazy!" He turned to Kihal. "So you thought of getting his highness's friend on your side, Toghrul."

 _Is he insane or something? Oh. Wait. Is that the Lord guy from Kihal's island?_ Lia suddenly had a severe distaste for the man, not only for insulting Kihal, but Zen as well; she really felt like wrapping him up in vines and hanging him upside down from the highest tower for a day.

"Kihal's expression turned into a surprised anxiety. "His highness's friend!" _So she hadn't figured it out yet…_ Lia sighed, mentally facepalming.

"Hmph. How shrewd." The lord stated, making Lia's distaste rise even higher.

Shirayuki tried to defend Kihal, when she was interrupted by Zen. "Viscount Blaker. Right now, I'm trying to see if this proposal will be of benefit to our country or not. As you are also a person of high rank in the country, I would like you to see this through as well." The viscount visibly flinched.

 _Need some ice for that burn? Too bad that I can't make you any._ Lia grinned mischievously.

"Well, then, your highness, I would also like to go to the lookout fortress at Kokoku. It's not that I doubt you, but if these girls were to play unfair, it would hurt your reputation, your highness." The viscount said, seeming to have recovered himself.

Lia grimaced, wanting to punch the guy, tapping her fingers against her crossed over arms. _None of this is going to lead to any good if he goes. They don't really have a choice though since they could be accused of being biased...Corrupt leaders should never be trusted, or given power for that matter. Just look at what happened to Sai and the dark lands. Corrupt rulers took over the throne and everything ended up badly for the people._

Zen seemed dubious of the viscount's intentions as well, glancing at Shirayuki, for her to make the decision. She smiled in agreement, although it seemed a bit forced to Lia. Zen nodded his head, turning back to the viscount. Lia's bad feeling only increased as she watched the viscounts grinning face. _I really don't like the look in his eyes..._

"Then, Lord Blaker, Lady Shirayuki and the three guards, please go to Kokoku! At four o'clock, we will start to dispatch the bird from here." He announced loud enough for everyone to hear.

The scar nosed man cursed the viscount under his breath. "Is that viscount stupid, or what? You guys should just say it out right that every single thing that guy utters is an insult to his highness!"

"No." The blue haired man answered him. "We want to keep everything civilized until the test ends without any trouble." He stated, but held his arms crossed. Lia could almost see the tick marks going off from all of the attendants. The former, seeing the latter's reasoning settled down, but not before crossing his arms as well.

A few minutes later, and Shirayuki was off to the fortress. _Zen's not sending any extra guards along? That's idiotic. I can't really go up to him while he's on the stage. I'd look too suspicious._

"Jeez... The people in this country sure have it tough… they have to watch their every move…" The cat eyed man muttered to himself, just barely audible to Lia as she jumped out of the tree above him, landing next to him smoothly, with only a sharp tug in her thigh. She could sense him tense up, watching her movements closely.

"I'm pretty sure every country is like that, not only Clarines." She replied, seeing his eyebrows raise up from under the shadow of her hood. "You're close with Prince Zen, right? I've seen you with him before." She asked, leaning her back against the wall, looking forward to watch the prince talk with Kihal.

"Why do you ask?" He answered, his voice filled with wariness, yet curiosity.

"I have a feeling that there's something fishy about the viscount. It's just a thought, but maybe you would want to warn Zen to send someone he trusts to go after the group to make sure that nothing goes wrong?" She looked over at him, his molten golden eyes widening faintly. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say." She turned away heading down to the kitchens to find a snack, feeling a pair of eyes watching her until she disappeared from view.

When Lia returned fifteen minutes later, biting into her apple, the cat eyed man was gone, and Kihal was getting ready to release Popo.

 _Did that guy actually listen to me? That's cool. It would have been sad if he hadn't. He gives off a different vibe than the others though. Now that I think about it, he wasn't wearing any type of uniform either. Kinda weird..._

With a whistle and a squawk, Popo was off to the fortress. Kihal had seemed even more worried ever since the lord had decided to accompany Shirayuki.

"What do you think of the test so far?" asked a voice behind her, startling her to the point of almost dropping the apple.

"Its a good idea, I just hope that nothing goes wrong, Zen. Or do you prefer 'your highness'?" Lia smiled.

"Zen is fine." He answered curtly. "That viscount gets on my nerves though." He sighed.

"As long as you sent people you trust to watch over him, it'll be fine." I _hope. Shirayuki won't give in to the viscount at least._ "By the way, aren't you supposed to be up there?" Lia asked, pointing to the stage.

He grumbled. "What, i can't even take a few minutes to speak with an old friend?"

She cocked her head to the side and innocently asked, "You have friends? That's surprising."

"Oi." his annoyance soon was replaced with a smile. "Anyway, see you around, Lia."

She smiled back, unseen by her hood, as he turned away, heading up onto the platform to get ready for the arrival of the bird.

The crowd's murmuring grew louder as time passed by. Lia could practically feel Zen's annoyance radiating from the platform, although no one else seemed to notice.

"SHUT UP!" the prince yelled, quieting the crowd for a bit. _Well, that grabbed their attention for five seconds._ The guards were already slowly getting louder

Lia was already back in the tree, staying comfortably out of view.

"Two more minutes and the time will be over!" the scar nosed man commented, making Lias anxiety skyrocket. _If I'm this nervous, Kihal must be freaking out._ The black haired girl stood calmly, but Lia could still see the worry in her eyes and in the way she held herself.

"That viscount probably played some dirty trick." the blonde woman stated, startling Lia. _Yeah. That's probably what happened…_

"Hey! Well, at least Obi followed them a bit after that, but…" The blue haired man's voice faded out with a sigh. _Is Obi that cat eyed man? I hope that at least he's someone who won't conform to any of the viscounts plans..._

"Hey… its going to be twenty five minutes soon…" "I guess its not that easy after all, to control birds with sound alone." Two guards close by said to each other, making a tick mark appear on Lias forehead. _Just have some FAITH in them! SERIOUSLY!_

Lia's eyes widened as Zen drew his sword out of its sheath and clanged it on the ground. "Be quiet! I can't hear the sound of the birds wings!" he yelled, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Yes sir!" the guards straightened up, silencing themselves.

 _That worked…_ She sweatdropped. _What did i expect though? He is a prince… They didn't listen to him the first time around though..._

" _Piiiiiiiiiii!"_ Lia's head shot up to the sky, along with the rest of the onlookers _._

"Your highness!" Kihal's face was filled with joy as Popo landed on her arm. The scar nosed man stepped up, and Kihal handed him the letter and bell.

The man inspected the letter. "Indeed. It has the signatures of everyone there. There shouldn't be any problems."

Zens face lit up ashe turned toward the crowd. "Well, then, I hereby declare that we are going to use birds for communication from now on." The crowed cheered. "That's all. Everyone, go back to your posts!"

Lia jumped out of the tree, heading to congratulate Kihal when the scar nosed man started speaking with Zen quietly. "Your highness, there's a report together with the letter. Apparently one guard is heading back to the castle right now."

Zens face turned dark as he read the letter. _Did something bad happen?_ "Mitsuhide, Kiki, prepare my horse!"

The blue haired man and blonde haired woman immediately bowed their heads. "Yes, sir!"

"Please come with us, too, Lady Kihal." Zen strode off after his attendants.

"Kihal!" Lia called out to the black haired girl, who promptly turned around. "I'm glad everything worked out with Popo."

"Yeah, me too!" Popo squeaked in agreement with Kihal.

"Do you know what happened at the fortress? Zen looked pretty upset." Lia glanced at his back as he turned the corner.

"No. I didn't get the chance to read the letter. Something must have happened if Prince Zen's going there himself…"

"That viscount… I hope Shirayuki is alright…" Lia sighed. "Anyway, i should get going. I don't particularly want to walk home in the dark." Kihal nodded. "Could you let Shirayuki know she did a good job and I hope she is alright, for me?"

"I will." Kihal grinned. "Get home safe, okay?"

Lia smiled. "Absolutely. I'll see you tomorrow!"

* * *

 **I'm late!**

 **Please forgive me!**

 **I will be uploading a second time this month to make up for the missed one!**

 **I'm so excited for next week because I'll have spring break and can write and watch anime and eat food :p**

 **What did you guys think of this chapter? I hope both the fight scenes and the budding friendship between Lia, Kihal and Shirayuki were alright.**

 **Anyway, I'll see you all soon, and thank you so much for reading and supporting this story!**

 **May your days be full of happiness and positivity!**

 **SakuraFestival out-**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Encounter

Chained down, bound, caged. Shackles on her hands, her feet. A cloth in her mouth. Unable to speak a word. Unable to run. Unable to fight. All she could do was watch the people's faces watch her as the cart went by, on it's way to the stage. Their words were filled with hatred, anger, sorrow, pain. Yet she couldn't say anything. She couldn't tell them the truth.

She looked up, tears filling her eyes at the frustration. _Why does it have to be this way? Why is the world so unfair? Why can't people see the truth and beauty of the world, why do they turn to the darkness? Why can't they open their eyes and look to the future..._

She stopped, her head clearing. _The sky is pretty…_

* * *

Lia woke up, staring at the ceiling, wondering whether she wanted to try to go back to sleep. Deciding against it, she got out of the bed, the blanket having been knocked off during the night. She had received a letter after she had arrived at the bakery, informing her the change in time of the exam, from 8 am to 4 pm. Having nothing to do, Lia took a shower, got dressed and went downstairs for her usual cup of tea and cinnamon rolls.

Taro had already memorized her order, along with the correct cup size, so that she wouldn't feel like she needed to pee every fifteen minutes. Lia sat down in her usual chair, her breakfast brought to her within a few minutes.

"Nice of Fumio to give us half a day off after those fights." Taro commented, sitting down next to her, staring out the window.

"Honestly, it probably has something to do with the next part of the exam." Lia sipped her tea calmly, watching a few people pass by the shop.

"I wonder what it is…"

"I hope it's fun."

* * *

Lia arrived at the gates an hour and a half early, hoping to see Shirayuki and Kihal. The guards let her in after she mentioned Shirayuki's name, advising her not to wander around too much.

She walked towards the pharmacy, when she heard the clear whistle of Kihal's bell. Lia followed the sound to the garden, finding both Kihal and Shirayuki petting Popo.

"Yo. Why are the two of you slacking off today?" Lia asked cheerfully.

"Lia! I was hoping I would see you today!" Kihal exclaimed, standing up and grabbing the brunette's hand.

"Eh? Me?" Lia looked over at Shirayuki, who shrugged her shoulders with a smile.

"You won't BELIEVE what happened yesterday!"

"I won't?" Lia asked, over exaggerating her surprise. Kihal frowned.

"Shirayuki almost DIED!" Kihal stated, squeezing Lia's hands harder.

She gasped. "No way! Shirayuki, how could you do this to us!" Lia took on a horrified expression. Kihal apparently didn't understand the sarcasm in Lia's voice, since she nodded vigorously.

The redhead laughed, her voice filling the air like bubbles. "Let's go inside, I should reapply medicine and rebandage your cut." Lia followed her, listening to Kihal explain in detail everything that happened, starting from the moment Lia had left.

Kihal was still talking, interjected by eyerolls from Shirayuki, while she over exaggerated the story. "And then she jumped into the water! From the top of the tower!" Kihal looked as if she was about to burst into tears. Lia raised her eyebrows, glancing at Shirayuki, who had paused bandaging her leg to give Kihal a hug.

"I'm sorry for scaring you. I really wanted to help your island and the birds from Lord Blaker…" Kihal sniffled at Shirayuki's words.

"Wait. You actually jumped into water from the top of the tower?" Lia gawked at her as she nodded her head in confirmation. "Either you're really brave, or really insane." _Either way, she's so kind and caring for others, even if she's never met them…_ _A pure cinnamon roll_.

Shirayuki smiled. "I couldn't let Lord Blaker have his way. It would harm not only the birds, but Kihal's people as well."

Lia leaned back, amazed by the redhead in front of her. "You're really cool, Shirayuki." She said quietly. Shirayuki smiled in response, letting go of Kihal to finish wrapping Lia's cut. "So, Kihal, what's going to happen now? With the birds and the island I mean." Lia asked.

Kihal smiled. "Hunting will now be prohibited! Also, Prince Zen and some soldiers will be coming to the island to speak with the elders and come to an agreement concerning the use of the birds as messengers."

"That's awesome! I'm sure everything will go smoothly now." Lia beamed a smile, closing her eyes out of habit.

"Yup!" Kihal answered, returning the smile.

"When are you all leaving?" asked Shirayuki.

Kihal's eyes suddenly brimmed with tears again. "The day after tomorrow."

* * *

Zen walked to the pharmacy cheerfully, excited to drop in on Shirayuki during her lunch break, but stopped when he saw Kihal and a mess of brown curls talking and laughing with her.

"What's wrong, master?"

"HUAH! Obi, where did you come from?" The prince asked, surprised at the sudden appearance of the black haired messenger.

"I was here the entire time…" Obi answered, pointing to a tree, from which he had swung out of. "Are you off to see the little miss?"

"I was, but i think that I'll come back later instead. Watch over Shirayuki from a distance for a bit."

His head tilted in confusion. "Why, master?"

Zen smiled, "She has a visitors."

* * *

Lia was once again escorted to the room by guards lining the paths. She could see the door being held open by Fumio as he greeted the other applicants.

 _Huh? That's weird… His eye color is different from yesterday…_ She frowned under her hood, confusion spreading across her face. It was blue and now it's brown... _Is it even possible to change eye color? You would need to be really good at speaking or alchemy… It's unlikely…_

"Welcome back! It's good to see you all again!" He said, giving Lia a handshake and touching her shoulder just enough to guide her into the room.

 _His hand's different from yesterday… It's rougher… and larger… Haha. I'm going crazy aren't I…_ She sighed, sitting down in a seat farthest from the rest of the magicians, next to the window, waiting to start the second day.

"Alright, alright. Is everyone comfortable? Yes? Then let's get started." The man smiled, walking to the front of the room.

 _His gait is strange… It's so calm… Why…? Yesterday he was practically jumping up and down like a rabbit..._

"Today we will be seeing how well you can work with others. In order to do that, I have put you in pairs. One applicant has been disqualified for interference, while another has decided to leave, due to their sustained injuries." _So now there's fourteen of us…_ "The task for today will be to cook a meal consisting of a main course, a side dish, and a dessert." Lia's face turned to horror as she continued to listen to the instructions. _Cooking…? I CAN'T COOK. Why cooking anyway?! That's so stupid! It has nothing to do with magic!_ "Cooking and alchemy are rather similar." he continued, Lia becoming more and more devastated. "Alchemy requires the use of magic, while cooking doesn't." _BUT THE MAGIC STABILIZES THE POTION, BUT FOOD HAS TO TASTE GOOD._

A few minutes later of instructions, which Lia didn't pay attention to because of her inner voices yelling at him, they were put into pairs. Luckily for her, she was paired with Taro. _Hopefully he knows how to cook as well as bake. Thank goodness I wasn't paired with the man I had to fight yesterday._

"Hey, uh, Taro, just so you know…" She twiddled her thumbs. "I uh, I can't really cook…"

He stared back at her, deadpan. "How is it possible to not be able to cook?"

"Well… you see… everything kinda gets a bit burnt…" He stared at her in disbelief. "And maybe my foods turn out a little bit too spicy or a little bit too sweet… And I may have once accidentally given myself food poisoning… Actually maybe that was a few times…" She looked up at him nervously, hoping to be reassured.

"Lets make something easy." He answered curtly, his face as if saying ' _Why am I stuck with this useless idiot'_ , before turning away, going to the baskets filled with vegetables and meats.

Lia immediately thanked him in her mind, praying that the food would turn out edible. "So, what are we making?" She asked cheerfully, rolling her sleeves up.

"Sheppard's pie for the main course, summer rolls, and a dozen chocolate cupcakes with a strawberry buttercream… What?" He asked when he realized her staring at him in amazement.

Lia's eyes were filled with excitement and she could barely keep herself from jumping all over the kitchen. "You know how to cook all of that?! It's amazing!"

"It's not hard when you've been doing it your whole life…" He answered, turning away to grab some vegetables and a knife, a small, but proud, smile on his face. Lia nodded eagerly, following him.

"What should I do?" She asked, after he had picked out his ingredients.

"Peel and dice potatoes, and put them in this." He handed her a pan. "Peel and dice the onions and carrots too, but put them in this pan." He gave her an even larger one. "Mince the garlic, rosemary, and thyme. That should take care of the shepherd's pie. Got all of that?"

"Yeah… I think so." Lia nodded, trying to remember the instructions.

"Ok. For the spring rolls, chop some lettuce, peppers, peeled carrots, and cucumbers into strips. Chop the avocado. Then after I finish cooking the shrimp, peel and slice it in halves. Keep everything separated." He turned around, putting a pot to boil the shrimp in, and starting to take out the ingredients for the cupcakes.

"T-Taro, sorry, but could you write that down or something…?" Her face had turned the shade of a tomato, and steam was coming out of Lia's ears from trying to remember everything. _I can't memorize a recipe this quickly…_ She could hear him sigh as he passed her a few potatoes.

"Peel and dice these first." He turned back to his work after handing her a heavy bowl of potatoes.

"Yes, sir!" Lia promptly turned around, listening to the other applicant's conversations as she happily peeled. Some complained about the exam. Others talked about their families and homes.

"I feel bad for the farmers who grew the potatoes. You've peeled more than half off of each of them." The man who looked like Fumio stated to Lia, appearing out of nowhere and examining her vegetables, all the while, frowning.

"Sorry." Lia mumbled, scolding herself to improve her peeling. "May I ask a question?" She said quietly, only loud enough for the man to hear her. He raised an eyebrow.

"You just did, but you may ask another one." He answered, face masked with a smile.

"Who are you? Where is Fumio?" She asked, making sure the other applicants didn't hear and start to panic.

The man smiled, his eyes warming and softening. "Congratulations on passing this part of the exam. Please refrain from telling the other applicants. Everything will be explained tomorrow- that is," he glanced down at her potatoes again. "Only if you pass the cooking stage."

Lia groaned internally as the man left, checking up on the other applicants, then proceeding to head out the door, after a messenger called for him.

"This is women's work! They are only good for being in the kitchen and in bed." She overheard a man exclaim, obviously aggravated, whilst aggressively stirring rice which was apparently sticking to the bottom of the pot. _The idiot I had to fight…_

"Asses are only good for being in stables and manual labor." She mocked him quietly, personally insulted by his comment. Taro raised an eyebrow at her, looking over his shoulder. Exasperated concern enveloping his face.

"You just compared me to an ass?!" The man turned towards her, having heard her comment, his mouth continuing to spit venomous swears. _Whoops. Must have heard me. What. A. Shame._

"Actually, on second thought, you're a swine, only good for being in a sty and under a knife." Lia calmly responded, but her anger overflowing inside her caused the avocado she was working on to start heating up, immediately turning a dark brown and then black on the inside when she had cut it open. Taro frowned at her disapprovingly.

The man's partner forced him to calm down, reminding him of the day before's fights. The man seemed to compose himself, but didn't say anything more that didn't contain another insult about Lia.

She picked up another avocado, careful not to heat it up and cut it into strips, laying it out on a plate for Taro to wrap.

"Thirty minutes left." Fumio's replacement yelled as he walked back into the room, causing the applicants to jolt into panic.

"T-Taro! What should I do? Can I help you in any way?" Lia asked, fretting behind him. _We still need to wrap the rolls and put the shepherd's pie in the oven, and ice the cupcakes… We can't finish at this pace…_

"Put a little bit of the spices on the counter into the bottom half of the shepherd's pie, then layer it and put it into the oven." He answered without looking up.

Lia ran to the counter, finding salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne powder. _A little bit… Just a little bit more… Okayyy… Done!_ She scooped the vegetables and meat on the bottom of the pan and spooned the mashed potatoes on top, before placing it into the oven. "Anything else?" She asked him again, just as he finished the last roll.

"I'll ice the cupcakes. You put the strawberry halves on top and put them on the plate." He answered, again, without looking up, too concentrated on finishing the dishes.

* * *

She sighed with satisfaction. They had finished in time and set their food on plates, waiting for the next instructions. A trio of cooks entered the room and sat down. They would be tasting each meal, and scoring them based on taste.

As they walked to one end of the long table, Lia curiously looked at the other dishes, some looking neatly and artistically placed, while others were glops of goo smacked on without concern for appearance.

The judges were silent as they tasted the dishes, repetitively first tasting, then writing in a notebook, completely ignoring all attempts at conversation from the applicants, and instead, focusing on the food.

 _Same._ Lia thought, as she saw one applicant gallantly gesture to his food, but had his hand slapped away by one of the cooks, who seemed more annoyed than the rest.

 _It's our turn now!_ Lia happily bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, when she saw the cooks reaching for the shepherd's pie. The look of surprise on the cook's face made Lia freeze though, and become alarmed when he started choking, gesturing to be brought a glass of water.

"... Lia…" She backed away as Taro turned to her, a dark aura emanating from him. "How much spice did you put in the shepard's pie…?"

"J-Just a little bit! A-as you told me to!" Lia stammered, tensing up.

"How much oF IT WAS CAYENNE POWDER?"

"..." She shuffled her feet. "Isn't spicy stuff better though…? I mean, i heard that people like it more…"

Taro shook in head in disbelief, turning away to sulk and mumble to himself. "I can't believe this... I'm screwed... so done... my chances are ruined… I shouldn't have even tried… never have trusted… even if… nothing can help now… i should just give up…"

"Stop being such a drama queen! Everything will be fine!" Lia grinned at him, patting his back a little too hard.

* * *

"Thank you everyone for your hard work! Please come back tomorrow morning at 8. We are finished for today." Fumio's replacement left the kitchen, the applicants following him, groaning and stretching out their backs.

Lia stood where she was, glancing around the kitchen with a worried face. Dozens of dirty pots and pans were left behind, plates and bowls were covering the countertops. Pieces of food were scattered everywhere, including the floor.

"Oi. Lia. You coming?" She whipped around to face Taro, who was leaning out from the doorway sleepily. _I can't leave this mess. Who will clean it up? The cooks? The maids? They're tired too. Hiriko always said that it's rude to make others clean up after your own mess. It's really unfair for them. But all of the applicants have left…_

She put on a smile. "I think I'll stay here a bit longer. You can go back to the bakery. Don't wait for me." She said as cheerfully as possible.

"Okay. Let yourself in. See you..." Taro yawned, throwing her a key to the back door of the bakery, and leaving the kitchen without a second thought.

Lia sighed. _All right._ She rolled up her sleeves, heading to a sink and starting on washing a plate, stacking it on a rack that had been put aside, drying all the plates once the rack was full, and putting them back in the cupboards. She repeated the procedure over and over monotonously, humming first one tune, then another, and another, ignoring everything else around her while she worked.

* * *

Obi walked along the rooftops, occasionally stopping to avoid being seen. His stomach rumbled, having been on guard duty when the others had eaten dinner.

"I can't believe we still have two more days of this." Obi ducked as a pair of guards wandered below him. "I know. Those magicians throw me off." "I can't wait until the exam's over and most of them are gone." "Did you get to see the fights yesterday?" "No, I was on duty." "Most of them can't even use a sword." "That's sad. How do they expect to protect their majesties without magic?" "I don't know, but there was only a couple who put up good fights. One idiot challenged the head magician." "Seriously?!" "Yeah. How stupid is that? The old man's crazy for letting her." "IT WAS A GIRL?" "Yeah! She kept her hood on unlike the others. Couldn't really see her face, but she seemed a few years younger than us." "I thought all female magicians near our age were killed off." "Yeah, it's surprising that…" Their voices faded out as they left, leaving Obi not only hungry, but curious.

He then saw them, all wearing cloaks, leaving the palace, escorted by guards. _Magicians from the exam._ He watched them leave before deciding to head down to the kitchens to grab a late-night snack.

Food was still left over on the table from the earlier test-tasting. He found a clean spoon in one of the cups, and proceeded to try them all. Some dishes were almost entirely cleaned off, while others were barely touched. _What a waste of food._ He frowned. _Could have given it away to those who don't have it._

He scooped out a large piece of what looked like shepherd's pie, but was mostly uneaten. His eyes widened. _Its so spicy._ He stared at it, before shoving as much as he could into his mouth, eating it excitedly, satisfied only when he finished off the rest of the pan.

Obi, with his hunger satisfied, peeked through the doorway, immediately seeing the girl from earlier. _She's an applicant for the magician's apprenticeship. The same one Kihal and Shirayuki were talking to, and the same one that challenged the head magician... I think her name was Lia? At least that's what Kihal called her. It doesn't seem she notices me. Talk about being preoccupied._ He leaned against the wall, watching her work for a minute. Her humming flowed like water, smooth, soft- a distant lullabye, filling him with an unexpected nostalgia.

"Hey," He said, watching her jump in surprise and almost drop her plate as she turned towards him, wearing hood as usual. _Why is she so keen on wearing it? There's not even anyone here except for the two of us._ "Why are you here?" _The others left a long time ago..._ He asked curiously, walking towards her.

"I'm not going to make anyone else clean up my mess." She answered, her head tipping in confusion as he walked past her and picked up a plate. "What are you doing." She asked as he started washing it.

 _Well, I'm obviously trying to help._ "What kind of a gentleman would I be if I didn't help a lady?" He smiled, turning back to the plate. He heard her sigh as she picked up another plate, handing it to him.

"Well, for starters, you wouldn't be a gentleman." She muttered, just loud enough. Obi chuckled.

"That's true. Could you pass me another?" The girl handed a bowl to him as he continued talking. "How's your cut, by the way? You got hurt during your second fight, right?" _It looked pretty deep from what I could tell…_

"Hmm? Oh, that. I got it wrapped up by a pharmacist. She put medicine on it, and it doesn't even hurt anymore." She said lightly. ' _She'... Must be either Little Miss or Garrak. Probably the former…_ He sweatdropped internally, remembering Garrak's morning workload. _I'll ask Little Miss later._ "What happened to your eye?" The girl asked, causing Obi to flinch out of his thoughts. "Looks pretty bad. I hope you had it treated as well."

"Haha. Yeah. I had it treated" He laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his hair, trying to catch a glimpse of her face from under the hood, which was impossible to do unless he took it off, and he did not want a repeat of the spectacle that involved Shirayuki and her mask when they had picked loca nuts.

"Soo… What happened?" She asked again, when Obi skipped over that part of her question. _Stubborn to know much about me…?_ He grimaced.

"I got punched by a banshee." He answered curtly, looking away with slight embarrassment.

"A banshee." Her voice was deadpan.

"Yep."

"How do you manage to get punched by a banshee."

 _She's relentless._ "I was just wandering around the wharf last night and it jumped out at me…" He mumbled. _Happy?_

"..."

He could almost hear crickets chirping from outside during her silence as he felt her stare.

"I was walking, and she was standing and looking down at the water, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground with a bruised eye and not able to get up, as she ran away, screeching..." He twitched when he saw her shoulders shaking.

"Pft." She burst into laughter. Melodic, flowing, clear, bubbling over, as she brought a hand to her face, to try to keep the giggles in, but failed, wiping her eyes instead.

"What's so funny." Obi asked, annoyance in his voice, cheeks turning more red. Her laughter doubled when she looked up at him.

"I'm really… really sorry… I think that may have been me… A couple days ago, I thought I was being followed, so I just acted on instinct I guess. I'm really sorry." She turned and bowed to him in apology, her giggles dying out, only lifting her head in confusion when Obi started laughing.

"Remind me to spar with you sometime, only don't catch me by surprise next time." He smiled at her.

She cocked her head, puzzled, and quietly asked, "...You're-you're… not mad at me...?"

Obi's breath caught at her question. Her soft voice flashed a memory through his mind, sending tumbles of forgotten emotions through him.

" … _You're-you're... not scared of me…?" The girl quietly asked, surprised._

" _Pfft. Why in the world would I be scared of you? I'm surprised that you aren't more scared of me, considering that i've almost killed you just now." He answered, laughing._

He couldn't remember who he was talking to. Not a single image came to mind. Just words, letters, floating in his head.

He snapped back to reality, raising his walls up again, covering his thoughts and putting them away. "Why in the world would I be mad at you? I mean, I'd rather not get punched, but it was my own fault that I was being suspicious." He said offhandedly, trying to ease her worry.

She nodded in agreement, her demeanor changing back as quickly as it had before. "Yeah, you were suspicious. What were you doing out so late at night? Are you some kind of zombie?" She gasped. "Maybe a vampire?" She visibly backed away from him, as he chuckled.

"Would you like to find out?" He asked, winking at her.

"Maybe another time." She replied back smoothly. "What were you doing though?"

"I was sent by master to-"

"Master?"

"Prince Zen. Anyway, I was sent by master to find out some information, but the contents of it are a secret." He pressed a finger up to his lips, as if she had to keep quiet about it. "But anyways, what were you humming just now?" He asked, changing the topic.

"Hm? Oh. Uhh... that was just a song my mother used to sing me to sleep. I dont really remember the words anymore." She answered. _That's not entirely true._ He thought, hearing the slight unsteadiness in her tone. _She has a right to her privacy though…_

"Let me walk you to where you're staying. It's not safe for a lady to walk around by herself at night." Obi said as they left the kitchens, having cleaned it spotlessly.

She shrugged. "Only if you wish to."

He grinned in response, walking ahead of her, making sure she was keeping up with him. "Although, I doubt anyone would dare to attack a banshee." He continued, as if not having heard her answer.

"I am not a banshee!" She replied, and he could hear the embarrassment in her voice, making his grin grow wider.

"So, where are we going, Miss?" He asked cheerfully as they left the palace grounds.

She smiled. "There's a bakery along the wharf- that's where I'm staying. I think it's called 'Cake and Bakes'?"

Obi nodded, then frowned. "That's a lame name for a shop."

She giggled, causing a small smile to appear on Obi's face. "Yeah. It's a bit cliché. They could have come up with a better name, like 'Boss Bakes' or 'Doughy Delights'."

"'Better Batter Bakery', 'The Bakesmith'..." Continued Obi, both chuckling from the ridiculous names.

"I guess it's kinda hard to name a bakery seriously."

"Speaking of names, mine is Obi. I have an alias, too, and I have all kinds of secrets." He delivered his usual introduction, watching her out of the corner of his eye expectantly.

"I'm Lia. Although, you probably already knew that." _Yeah. I did._ He turned his eyes away from her as she finished, a small smile on his face. "It'll be nice getting to know you, Obi, and getting to know all kinds of your mysterious secrets as well." She continued lightheartedly.

His eyes widened, then he grinned. _I hope so._

* * *

Lia looked out to the lake, watching the small waves lap up against the stone wall, illuminated by the moon. _It's nice to have people to talk to or even just to walk with._ She looked back up. _We're almost to the bakery… I kinda don't want it to end…_

"Obi," She turned towards him when they reached the shop. "Thank you for walking with me. I really enjoyed your company." She beamed a smile at him, even though she knew he wouldn't see it from under her hood.

"It was my pleasure, Miss Lia." He smiled, a softness appearing in his eyes, the moon making them shimmer like silk, pulling her in. "Good luck with the rest of the exam."

"Thanks! I'll see you tomorrow, Obi." She answered, giving a small wave before unlocking the back door to the bakery.

"See you." Lia heard him answer, almost as if in surprise, before she closed the door, going up to her room.

She could still see him from her window as he walked back towards the castle, hands placed behind his head, looking up to the sky. Lia sat down on the window ledge, resting her head on her knees. His familiar smile flashed through her mind. His softened eyes in that one moment. The sound of his laughter.

 _Obi. I want to know you better._

* * *

 **Hi Everyone~~**

 **So yeah... I said a month... That didn't happen...**

 **I'm really sorry.**

 **A lot of things in my life have changed, and I will keep writing and uploading,**

 **but it won't be on a regular schedule.**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter though,**

 **and if you have questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know!**

 **I love you guys 3**

 **Until next time~**


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